The trade in roughage continues stable. Forage traders say they have a good job, but that it is not overly busy. The dry spring makes several livestock farmers cautious when it comes to offering leftover roughage.
Fertilizer is expensive and whether or not to grant a derogation hangs like a dark cloud over the market. In addition, the spring has been relatively dry so far and by-products and residual products are quite expensive. This means that livestock farmers are cautious about selling silage grass and silage maize. "Better to be shy than to be shy", is the motto at the moment.
Good corn pits have been sought and, according to forage traders, it is not easy to find good silage corn. The demand is there, according to the market. But if there is no offer, it will quickly end. The DCA Indicative Price for silage maize therefore remains stable this week at €80,00 per tonne.
Relatively quiet trading
The supply of silage grass will become a little more available this week, but this will not stop there either. For some livestock farmers, the first cut has been mowed and gone into the pit under good conditions. Various farmers therefore now want to say goodbye to leftover silage grass. According to insiders, the quality of the silage offered varies widely. There is a good demand for good silage grass, but there is no demand for inferior quality. The DCA Indicative Price for silage remains the same as last week, at €70 per tonne.
The trade in hay and straw is also relatively quiet. There is plenty of straw, but the price remains stable this week, partly due to high transport costs. The DCA Indicative Price is €130 per tonne, for both wheat and barley straw. The demand for hay is quiet. The grazing season has started and this is reflected in the interest. Several customers are trying to hold out until the new harvest, an insider reports. The DCA Indicative Price for meadow hay is €185 per tonne. There is hardly any trade in grass seed hay. Quality has been a problem all season long due to a wet period during harvest. That is why certain livestock farmers have switched to rolled straw. The Indicative prices for grass seed hay range from €130 per tonne for English rye to €145 per tonne for tall fescue.
Search for new balance
A new balance is being sought in the by-product market. The cows are outside again and/or fresh grass is fed. This requires adjustments in the ration. Some traders notice that the demand for by-products is decreasing slightly now that livestock farmers are on top of the costs. Carrots are being offered quite a lot at the moment. There is also a demand for this, but livestock farmers are sometimes shocked by the costs of rinsing and transport. The DCA Indicative Price for spent grain is €3,55 per percent dry matter. The price of feed potatoes remains stable at €45 per tonne.