The roughage market is in a tame phase. Most livestock farmers have their winter rations ready and only fine-tune details. The supply of mainly good grass silage, silage maize and by-products is just not enough.
Some traders do note that customers who are a bit short on roughage inquire about what is or will be available. However, this does not immediately lead to concrete trade. According to insiders, this is a sign that feed prices will not fall much in the short term.
In the south of the country the corn harvest was not easy. The quality did not last and a relatively large amount of maize that would normally be chopped disappeared into the CCM or was harvested as grain maize. The limited supply is noticeable on the feed market. There is not much supply of good corn, according to several traders. The demand for corn is quiet, but is slowly picking up. For most traders, this does not yet involve very large quantities. The DCA Indicative Price remains the same as last week at €100 per tonne.
There is little trade in silage. Livestock farmers rarely offer good grass from the first or second cut. If there is a supply of good silage, it usually comes from retired livestock farmers, traders say. Moderate autumn silages are more commonly offered, but there is hardly any demand for them. The DCA Indicative Price is €80 per tonne.
By-products remain popular
The demand for by-products remains high. "We can sell more than we are offered," several traders indicate. Yet the market seems reasonably balanced. Waiting times are stable for most products. Livestock farmers have made their choice about what they want to feed and do not compromise much, with the exception of livestock farmers who always look for the cheapest products. The prices of most by-products remain at a stable (relatively high) level. The DCA Indicative Price of spent grain remains the same at €4,05 per percent dry matter. The indicative price of feed potatoes also remains stable at €45 per tonne. The supply of feed potatoes remains limited.'' Potato by-products such as steam peeling are slowly gaining some additional supply, but they still easily find buyers.
The straw trade continues well. It is of course not the busiest period, but traders report that they are doing good work. The DCA Indicative Price is €140 per tonne for both wheat and barley straw. Interest in grass seed hay is better than it has been in recent years. The DCA Indicative Price for grass seed hay ranges from €145 for English rye to €155 for red or tall fescue. Most traders in meadow hay are quiet. What is done mainly goes to private individuals and hardly to livestock farming. The DCA Indicative Price for meadow hay is €190 per tonne.