Making price agreements for the supply of liquid manure this spring has proven to be difficult. This is mainly due to the uncertainty of the price trend of liquid manure when the spreading season can get underway. The spreading of liquid manure has so far been disappointing and has not yet led to any relief on the manure market.
The selling prices for liquid manure have risen considerably in recent months. The average payment for cattle slurry is currently around €30 per cubic meter, but the spread is wide. Pig slurry averages around €32 to €33 per cubic meter. In some regions more than €35 must also be paid.
The start of the spreading season two weeks ago has not yet provided relief on the market, mainly due to the heavy rainfall that makes spreading difficult. On the other hand, with the overcrowded manure cellars and storage areas, a lot of volume needs to be spread this season. The installation space has also shrunk. According to various manure intermediaries, manure prices will soon drop with favorable weather, but the decline in manure prices may be limited due to the overcrowded manure market. They express their concerns, especially about the increased supply of cattle slurry. Also with the idea that the placement space will decrease further in 2025 due to the phasing out of the derogation. Old price levels that we are used to from before 2023 are therefore very far away.
Price is not fixed
The uncertainty about the price trend of manure as spring progresses also makes it difficult to make concrete agreements about spreading liquid manure on the plots this spring. Due to the large, oppressive supply and the current level of €30 per cubic meter, buyers are placing high stakes. However, a lot of manure has also been driven into storage at much lower prices between autumn 2023 and now. After all, there is no price tag on all the manure in the ram-full cellars. If contractors and intermediaries charge too high a price and fertilizer prices soon fall sharply, they will be shooting themselves in the fingers and will have to pay extra money to get rid of fertilizer. On the other hand, they also don't want to sit too low.
It is not the case that no agreements are made at all about volumes and a fixed price delivered on land, but the uncertainty does make it difficult. Some contractors and fertilizer intermediaries stick to the volumes specified by the requesting party and then they can see what the fertilizer prices are at the time of delivery. In addition, transport costs have also risen and distance plays a major role for livestock farmers and arable farmers who have manure delivered this spring.
Favorable weather can bring about a turnaround
The current spreading season, which has now been underway for two weeks, has not yet managed to alleviate the fertilizer market due to the rainy weather. In some regions, some grassland was fertilized between showers on heavier soils or higher plots. Several contractors indicate that it was not easy and that the need was often great due to full manure cellars. DCA's manure quotations remain largely stable this week, although some regions show a very slight decline for cattle slurry. The current weather forecast looks a lot more favorable for the riding season. Contractors indicate that when driving is possible in mid-March, the pressure can quickly decrease in the short term.