The demand for straw is picking up slightly, but it is not particularly exciting on the roughage market. Prices remain at a relatively high level and buyers are leaning back a bit.
Being busy is and remains a relative concept. For example, one forage trader has sold some corn and finds it a bit busier again, while the next classifies this as normal work. It just depends on how you look at it. The common denominator is that livestock farmers generally do what is necessary but do not want to mess up too much. That also suits this time of year.
The demand for hay and straw is increasing somewhat. In straw, the price differences between the North and South of the Netherlands remain large. Straw delivered for €125 in the south to a livestock farmer who is 'not too critical' is no longer easy this week. The bottom in the market is being lifted somewhat. The DCA Indicative Price nevertheless remains unchanged at €140 per tonne. Grass seed hay is in short supply and what is not available cannot be sold. The DCA Indicative Price is €170 per tonne without any significant distinction between the varieties. Some livestock farmers are switching to (hammered) straw or meadow or dike hay due to the limited availability of grass seed hay. However, meadow hay is also not in abundance. The DCA Indicative Price for meadow hay is increasing this week to €200 per tonne.
By-products in balance
There are no major shifts in the by-products. Potato by-products are generally readily available. However, this does not apply to feed potatoes. These are hardly available. The DCA Indicative Price remains stable at €60 per ton, but you have to be lucky if you want to get a container. The waiting time for spent grain is decreasing at some suppliers, but it is not the case that the market is oversupplied. What becomes available still finds its way smoothly to a large group of regular feeders. The DCA Indicative Price is €4 per percent dry matter.
Silage maize and silage grass are traded, but traders are generally not overflowing with work in these products. Good silage from the first or second cut is difficult to obtain. That is what is in demand. The DCA Indicative Price for silage is €100 per tonne. Cutting maize is also not offered in excess and when something comes along, sellers dare to ask for good money under the motto 'they will come automatically'. The DCA Indicative Price for silage maize remains stable at €100 per ton delivered in the silo, excluding shovel.