There is still a mess in the by-products. Working with traders for various flows to complete sales. With silage maize the situation is reversed and the search is for good maize. Hay and straw are the stable factor in the forage trade.
The grass is growing, but it is still too early for many livestock farmers to switch to a pasture ration. Some traders notice that livestock farmers are careful about stocking products that fit less well in a ration with fresh grass.
Most of the action on the roughage market this week is also in the by-products. It is a real buyers' market for potato and grain by-products. It is impossible to predict whether prices will fall further, but if we look at developments on the Matif, the bottom could well have been reached. Beer spent grain is widely available. If you, as a livestock farmer, have the space to build up a stock, several suppliers hint that a number of options are possible based on price. The DCA Indicative Price for spent grain has fallen further this week and now amounts to €3,30 per percent dry matter. Feed potatoes remain scarce and the Indicative Price remains stable at €60 per tonne.
Good corn is not widely available. Even though there is quite a bit of demand. Forage traders are not being bullied, but if you have something, you can easily lose it as a trader. The DCA Indicative Price for silage maize remains stable at €95 per tonne. The demand for silage varies considerably. In one region there is hardly any demand, while in the other there is quite a bit of demand. The range varies widely, from wet autumn grass to good grass from the first cut. The latter is not up for grabs, by the way. The price for silage grass is somewhat under pressure and amounts to €85 per tonne.
Hay and straw are not making any crazy jumps this week either. The Netherlands relies heavily on supply from France for good straw. The DCA Indicative Price for both wheat and barley straw remains stable at €140 per tonne. The market for meadow hay is neatly balanced. There is not much demand, but that also applies to the supply. The price remains stable at €200 per tonne. Grass seed hay is way sold out. Every now and then something passes by, but it is quiet. The DCA Indicative Price for grass seed hay is €185 per tonne with little or no difference in variety.