Good feed quickly finds its way to customers. There is more demand than supply for grass silage and by-products, for example. It is therefore a bit of a compromise for various forage traders to be able to supply customers.
By-products are historically expensive, but that does not deter demand. Waiting times for various products are increasing rather than decreasing, according to traders. Chunk is also expensive and with good milk prices, most livestock farmers want to stimulate milk production. The DCA Indicative Price for spent grain remains the same as last week at €4,20 per percent dry matter. The supply of feed potatoes is and remains scarce. The processing industry seems to be able to use just about anything, according to traders. The DCA Indicative Price for feed potatoes is €60 per tonne.
Good silage grass also remains a scarce commodity. Livestock farmers who have plenty of grass are reluctant to sell. It will be a while before mowing can take place again. It is better to be shy than to be shy, is the prevailing thought. Due to the wide variety of grass that is traded, it is difficult to put together a good indicative price. For loose in the slot silo, the DCA Indicative Price is €90 per tonne. However, prices for top quality are already well above €100 per tonne and for very good silage in large packs the prices are even higher.
Grass seed hay is popular
Trade in silage maize is a bit smoother, but here too you should not count on bargains. The DCA Indicative Price is €105 per tonne. The market for hay and straw is fairly stable. Several traders do note that there is somewhat more supply of barley straw than wheat straw. It is possible that slightly less barley straw was fed and farmers opted instead for grass seed hay, which was generally of excellent quality this season. The DCA Indicative Price for both wheat and barley straw remains the same as last week at €145 per tonne. For grass seed hay, the indicative price ranges from €145 to €155 per tonne, depending on the variety. Beautiful meadow hay is well priced with a DCA Indicative Price of €190 per tonne.