It is slightly busier in the roughage trade this week. This has not so much to do with increasing demand, but with deliveries being brought forward to relieve the burden on the week between Christmas and New Years.
According to various traders, the trade in roughage is running quite smoothly despite the relatively high prices. The increased milk prices have improved sentiment among livestock farmers and that makes trading a little easier. But most insiders quickly add that the higher milk price is not an unnecessary luxury if you look at the broader price increases in dairy farming. From feed and fertilizer to energy, costs are rising across the board.
More trade in straw
The straw trade is emotionally improving. Several forage traders indicate that this has more to do with limited availability of transport around the holidays than an increasing demand. Nice, white, long straw is available, but in many lots offered at the trade there are a number of worse packs. The DCA Indicative Price for both wheat and barley straw is €130 per tonne.
There is plenty of grass silage for sale, but the supply of silage with good feed values is disappointing, according to several traders. The search is on for grass silage that is good for cows or for dairy goats. Partly because of this, there is not much trade in silage at the moment. The DCA Indicative Price for good silage grass remains the same as last week at €65 per tonne.
Good demand for by-products
The demand for by-products remains good. What comes onto the market quickly finds a destination. Call now and have it delivered later this week, the vast majority of products are not available. For most traders, delivery is extended beyond New Year's Eve. The DCA Indicative Price remains unchanged compared to last week at €3,10 per percent dry matter.
The European potato harvest is average, which means that the processing industry spills relatively few potatoes. This is noticeable in the supply of feed potatoes, which remains on the meager side. The DCA Indicative Price remains the same at €45 per tonne.
Limited demand for corn
There is not much trade in silage maize at the moment. Some traders have customers who buy corn all year round, but most traders do not see much demand. The DCA Indicative Price remains at €70 per tonne. There is also not much demand for meadow and grass seed hay at the moment, especially from livestock farming. The demand mainly comes from the horse farming industry. The DCA Indicative Price for grass seed hay ranges from €130 per tonne for perennial ryegrass to €150 per tonne for red fescue. For meadow hay, the DCA Indicative Price is €190 per tonne.