It is mainly maize that is rife in the roughage trade. By-products are also sought after. The hay and straw trade is therefore on the back burner for most companies.
Feed is well priced, sufficient availability is not a given, according to traders. "Every now and then a customer drops out who thinks the price for a certain product is very high, but you have another destination for that," according to a trader. The relatively high milk price is fortunate. "If you compare it with pig farming, the high feed costs put even more pressure on what remains below the line," says an insider.
The silage maize harvest in the southeast of the country is largely over, but is still ongoing in the rest of the country. Things are going well and if the weather cooperates a bit it won't be long before all the corn has been chopped. There are major differences in quality between plots. In the north, the quality is certainly not disappointing on average. The price of silage maize remains strong. The DCA Indicative Price remains the same as last week at €95 per tonne.
By-products remain in high demand. The market is starting to stabilize. Covering products for corn silage are currently difficult or impossible to supply. Some traders point out that it is also possible to have wet or solid by-products added to the corn silage later. Some livestock farmers have gained experience with this in recent years. A likely lower price was the main motivation for this. It also saves a lot of stress. The chopping and the delivery of the by-products do not have to be connected. The disadvantage is that the pit must be opened and covered again.
The DCA Indicative Price for spent grain remains unchanged compared to last week at €4 per percent dry matter. The supply of feed potatoes remains tight. What becomes available, traders try to sell as much as possible to regular feeders. The DCA Indicative Price is €45 per tonne.
Little grass silage
There remains a high demand for good silage grass, but the supply is limited. A significant number of livestock farmers do not have excessive amounts of grass and they are frugal with what they have. Winning a last cut of grass is also not easy. The rain has come too late for good growth, so there is little grass left. Now the wetness makes it difficult to get the dry grass inside. Furthermore, at most companies, the trucks are mainly used for corn. This makes it extra quiet in the silage trade. The DCA Indicative Price for silage is €75 per tonne.
The straw trade is in a quiet phase. The regular work continues and that is where it stops. Livestock farmers are more focused on the corn and it is still too early for sales of the bulbs. The DCA Indicative Price has taken a step up this week to €135 per tonne. Demand for meadow and grass seed hay is also quiet. Both buyers and sellers are in no hurry to do business. The DCA Indicative Price for meadow hay is €185 per tonne and for grass seed hay at €135 to €145 per tonne depending on the variety.