Drought remains an important issue in the roughage market. The grass grows only moderately and there are also some doubts about the maize. For livestock farmers, it is a bit of a search for how the ration can be optimized.
By-products in particular are in high demand at the moment. Several traders report that waiting times are increasing and a number of suppliers are not taking on new customers. The potato starch campaign started last week and with it the first potato press fiber will also be on the market.
If everything goes according to plan, the beet campaign will start in a few weeks. That normally gives some relief to the market, but due to the high demand for by-products, traders don't expect prices to fall across the board. The DCA Indication price for brewer's grain has risen this week to €3,80 per percent dry matter. Feed potatoes are hardly available. What does not suit the chip processors quickly disappears in the flakes and does not go into the feed. If something passes by, it is hardly suitable as food. The DCA Indication Price for feed potatoes remains the same at €45 per tonne.
The trade in maize from the new crop has yet to really start. Ripening is going very fast with the current temperatures and the first plots have already been chopped. According to traders, the quality of the maize that is offered to the trade on stock is very variable. "In the coming weeks, you will have to pay close attention to ensure that no lesser loads are processed by the good maize," says a trader. "The maize is well priced, but the buyer rightly expects a good product for that." The DCA Indication Price for maize from the old crop remains the same as last week at €87,50 per tonne.
But few farmers want to get rid of silage
There is demand for silage, but hardly any supply. The grass is growing poorly and that will not change when the weather reports come out this week. Suppose the weather does change next week, then it is too late to bring in another good cut. According to traders, there is therefore relatively a lot of information about grass silage. Silage in foil bales can still be found, but the supply for good riding silage is very meager. The DCA Indication Price for silage supplied loose on the slab remains at €75 per tonne.
The straw trade continues to run smoothly for the period just after the harvest. Several buyers have been waiting in the hope that the price would drop a little more. That didn't happen and now they still want to buy. The DCA Indication Price stands at €130 per tonne for both wheat and barley straw. Grass seed hay was in high demand this season, but the peak is now behind us. There are big differences between traders. One group has had less good experiences with grass seed hay in recent years and hardly bets on it, while the other group of traders actively offers it as a relatively cheap alternative to hammered Spanish straw. The DCA Indication Price for grass seed hay ranges from €130 per tonne for perennial crops to €145 per tonne for red fescue. The trade in meadow hay remains stable, as does the indication price. It will remain at €175 per tonne.