It is still mainly maize that is the dominant force in the roughage trade. But every effort is also being made in the by-products. It's not just farmers who sometimes have bad luck. Processing companies also appear to have setbacks from time to time. This only comes at an unfortunate time for the feed trade.
The silage maize harvest is well underway in the south and center of the country. However, some things still need to be done in the north. The changeable weather of the past week is just not helping. The DCA Indicative Price is taking a step back this week to €75 per tonne. The differences between the regions remain large. In one region prices are around or below €70 per tonne, while in other parts of the country €80 or more is also included.
The supply of by-products is a problem for various suppliers. The demand for spent grain is good, but the supply is limited. Several breweries have a planned or unplanned stop. The DCA Indicative Price for spent grain nevertheless remains stable at €4 per percent dry matter.
It is not just the supply of spent grains that is not available. The strike at Cargill ensures that the supply of other grain-related flows is not available from different suppliers. One of the largest residual flows at this time of year is pressed pulp. And you guessed it, the beet campaign is not going completely smoothly either. Dinteloord is running smoothly after some usual start-up problems, but in Vierverlaten the gang is not really wanting to get involved yet. The planning for the delivery of pressed pulp has required over-calculation.
The supply of feed potatoes remains extremely tight. Despite the fact that prices for chip potatoes have fallen considerably compared to shortly after the start of the season, little is being spilled by the processing industry. Other years there is sometimes a supply of rejected or under or oversized seed potatoes, but there is also little supply at the moment. The DCA Indicative Price for feed potatoes remains the same at €55 per tonne. Some traders note that carrots are more available and that this is a good alternative to feed potatoes for bull fatteners, for example.
Bulbs pull on straw
In straw, it is the bulb growers who provide extra demand. However, that is a fairly specific group of customers that not every forage trader is geared towards. The most important requirement for the bulbs is that the straw is sufficiently long and that is especially important this year. From the livestock farming sector, it is mainly the regular customers who come to the market. The DCA Indicative Price for both barley and wheat straw remains stable at €130 per tonne.
There is only a limited trade in meadow and grass seed hay. There is demand, but here too there is no supply. The search is mainly for beautiful grass seed hay that has not seen any rain. Arable farmers and traders with grass seed hay in the shed know this and easily keep their doors closed at the moment. The DCA Indicative Price for grass seed hay amounts to €160 per tonne with hardly any difference between the varieties. Meadow hay remains stable at €190 per tonne.
The market for silage grass is and remains a difficult one with little trade. The supply of grass from land is a long way from now. Good grass from the first or second cut is hardly offered. The DCA Indicative Price for silage remains the same at €100 per tonne, but with a change due to the limited number of transactions.