These are not exciting times in the roughage trade. The regulars do what they have to do, but other than that there isn't much to do. There is still a mess in the by-products. The market is becoming increasingly friendly for livestock farmers.
We can't ignore the weather. The temperature is right and there is now quite a nice mat of grass. Several livestock farmers would like to go outside with the cows. The persistent wetness only throws a spanner in the works. There is little other option than to wait until the meadow has dried up a bit. Switching to a ration with a lot of fresh grass will therefore take some time.
This week too, most of the action is in the by-products. As the name suggests, supply is not controlled. What is released in the production process must be disposed of in some way. Various branches in the grain and potato processing industry are continuing to perform well, which means that there is a wide supply of various residual flows. The by-products are therefore a real buyers' market. The DCA Indicative Price for spent grains is taking a step back this week to €3,20 per percent dry matter. The big exception remains feed potatoes. These are and will remain scarce. The DCA Indicative Price is €60 per tonne.
The demand for straw is good, several traders report. Supply is also mainly from France. "In Oldambt you have to do your best to get good straw from the arable farmers," says a forage trader. The DCA Indicative Price for both wheat and barley straw remains stable at €140 per tonne. With meadow hay, it is mainly the regular customers who remain on the market. Well-harvested hay is hard to find. The DCA Indicative Price is €200 per tonne. There is hardly any trade in grass seed hay anymore. Where available, prices are quoted at around €185 per tonne. Race is no longer considered.
Quality range
There are significant differences between traders in silage grass and maize. One person has quite a bit of work in maize - this seems to be especially the case in the peat meadow areas - while the next has little demand. The DCA Indicative Price is €95 per tonne. It is also difficult to define the market for silage grass. There are farmers who would like to put leftovers in the silo. The quality of the grass determines whether there is a market for it or not. There are always customers for good grass, while peddling late, wet grass is hard to lose. The DCA Indicative Price for silage grass remains stable at €85 per tonne.