The roughage trade continues. The permanent work is going well for most forage traders, but there is not much extra demand. The demand for good roughage and by-products is there, but the supply is not enough.
The demand for feed may increase slightly towards the holidays. That phenomenon is not so bad this year. According to some traders, some deliveries have been brought forward so as not to run out of food between Christmas and New Year's Eve, but things are not really going very well. The generally limited availability of feed plays a role in this.
By-product demand remains largely unchanged from last week. There is a certain balance in the market. Some traders report that they could use more spent grain than is currently available on the market. The DCA Indicative Price for spent grain remains the same as last week at €4,05 per percent dry matter. Feed potatoes are and remain difficult to obtain. "Potatoes are relatively expensive and the processors spill little," said a trader. The DCA Indicative Price is €45 per tonne.
Little to offer
Good corn, but especially good silage, are difficult to find at the moment, and what is not there cannot be traded. Especially in regions where livestock farmers normally have plenty of roughage, yields have been disappointing and there is now very little supply of grass and corn. Because there is little trade, it is difficult to give a good reflection of the market with the Indicative Price. The DCA Indicative Price for silage this week is €85 per tonne delivered loose in the silo and the DCA Indicative Price for maize is €100 per tonne.
The trade in hay and straw continues steadily. It is not really busy, but according to traders, the regular customers continue to visit the market. Prices also remain stable. The DCA Indicative Price for wheat and barley straw remains at €140 per tonne. For grass seed hay, prices range from €145 to €155 per tonne depending on the variety. The demand for meadow hay from livestock farming is relatively good for this time of year. The DCA Indicative Price remains at €190 per tonne.