The roughage market remains tight. There is a lot of demand at the moment for silage maize and by-products. Their prices are high and customers drop out as a result. The hectic pace seems to be over for a while, but calm has certainly not yet returned to the market.
Milk is very expensive, and that is desperately needed with the current high prices for, among other things, feed. By-products are of great interest to livestock farmers. However, delivery is not a given. Various suppliers have been putting a stop to new customers for a long time now and livestock farmers are getting used to discounts and relatively long waiting times. Covering products for the corn silage are not or hardly available. "A product such as potato fiber goes to farmers who feed fresh. These livestock farmers must also take into account that less is supplied rather than more," says a trader.
Livestock farmers are starting to get used to the tight availability. According to some traders, a kind of equilibrium is starting to emerge in the market. Farmers are coming to terms with the fact that not everything is available and that what is available often takes a few weeks to deliver. The DCA Indicative Price of spent grains remains unchanged this week compared to last week at €4 per percent dry matter. Feed potatoes remain difficult to obtain. The price also remains the same at €45 per tonne.
Corn stays at the price
The silage maize harvest is almost over in the southeast of the Netherlands. The quality doesn't seem great on average. Several plots there became emergency ready at the beginning of September, which means that the cob is insufficiently developed. The corn harvest is still in full swing in the center and north of the country. The quality of the maize does not seem to disappoint, especially in the north. The DCA Indicative Price for silage maize has taken a small step back this week and amounts to €95 per tonne. That is still a very steep price, by the way.
The trade in hay and straw is on the back burner for most forage traders. The normal work continues, but there is not much extra work. The DCA Indicative Price for both wheat and barley straw is €130 per tonne. The DCA Indicative Price for meadow hay also remains unchanged at €185 per tonne. Grass seed hay has become slightly more expensive. The price ranges from €135 to €145 per tonne, depending on the variety.
There is a demand for good silage, but the supply is and remains scarce. Good riding pits are hardly offered and what is on offer is often stuff with a story. Good, large packs of silage grass are a little easier to obtain, but according to traders, not every customer is interested in that. The DCA Indicative Price for silage remains at €75 per tonne, but with a hit due to limited trade.