Things are going fairly smoothly on the roughage market. The relatively high milk price acts as a lubricant. Livestock farmers would like to keep as much milk among their cows as possible and are willing to invest to a certain extent in relatively expensive feed.
According to most forage traders, it is not really busy. But that's also part of this time of year. The second cut of grass is now in the pit on many companies and for hay and straw we have to wait for the new harvest before the trade really starts again.
Silage maize is and remains in high demand. It is still very early in the growing season for the new corn. Although the condition of the crop has improved considerably, partly due to the rain in recent weeks, livestock farmers are very careful about selling the stock that is now in the silo. As a result, the supply of silage maize is no longer available. It really takes a lot of searching to get your hands on something, according to traders. The DCA Indicative Price takes a step up compared to last week to €85 per tonne.
There is not much demand for silage, but lots with good levels suitable for dairy goats are easy to get rid of. So far, these levels have generally been doing very well. The grass yield in tons per hectare is lower compared to last year. As a result, the supply of grass is no longer available. The DCA Indicative Price for silage remains the same as last week at €75 per tonne.
Balance in by-product market
The market for by-products and residual products is reasonably balanced. "We don't have to peddle by-products, but we certainly no longer have weeks of delivery time as we did earlier this year," says a trader. The interest in pressed pulp during the pre-sale is good according to various traders. Despite the higher price, pressed pulp remains interesting to feed when compared to other products available on the market. The DCA Indicative Price of spent grains this week is €3,55 per percent dry matter, which is the same as last week. The indicative price for feed potatoes also remains the same compared to last week at €45 per tonne. But here you have to have a bit of luck to win a game.
The regular customers who bring hay and straw every few weeks throughout the year remain at the market. Furthermore, traders are mainly waiting for the new harvest. That will take a while and until then the market will remain in a somewhat lukewarm phase. The DCA Indicative Price for both wheat and barley straw remains at €130 per tonne. The trade in grass seed hay is really coming to an end and arable farmers and traders with stock are keen to get rid of it. However, prices for grass seed hay remain stable and range from €130 to €140 per tonne depending on the variety. The price for meadow hay also remains stable at €185 per tonne.