The challenging growing season can be seen in the roughage market. Some livestock farmers are looking for supplements in the ration due to somewhat disappointing silage results. The trade in forage products such as hay and straw continues as usual for this time of year.
The DCA Indicative Price for brewers grains is rising to €3,55 per percent dry matter. Demand is good according to traders and even seems to be picking up a bit. Due to the rain last week, the grazing season now seems to be over for good. The results of the maize and grass silage are quite variable and that is causing some livestock farmers to look for supplements in the form of by-products in their rations. Forage traders are also keeping a close eye on the strike at Heineken. That has only had a limited effect on availability at the moment, but the developments are being followed with above-average interest.
The DCA Indicative Price for Silage Maize from the pit rises this week by €5 to €85 per ton. There is hardly any trade in the maize from the field. In some regions there is still some silage maize stuck, but these are the very late sown plots that do not want to ripen and where it remains too wet to chop. That is of course not the best quality and that makes it more or less a market that anyone will pay for it. From around €60 is considered a realistic price. Due to the wet weather of the past week, the harvest of corn cob mix (ccm), corn cob meal (mks) and grain maize is delayed, according to some forage traders.
The DCA Indicative Price for feed potatoes takes a step back to €45 per tonne. The supply of oversized or rejected seed potatoes is not excessive. According to some insiders, there is some supply of potatoes that were planted very late and that do not reach the underwater weight. The processing industry cannot do anything with that, so these potatoes end up in the feed. Incidentally, this does not involve very large volumes.
The DCA Indicative price for straw remains stable at €175 per tonne. The market is balanced and reasonably stable. Sellers are in little hurry to empty the barns and on the other hand, livestock farmers do not feel the need to buy extra.
The DCA Indicative Price for meadow hay remains the same this week at €195 per tonne. The trade is said to be quiet. The supply is said to be reasonable, and the demand is lagging somewhat. But in general this is also not the time of year for a solid trade in meadow hay. The DCA Indicative Price for grass seed hay remains the same at €180 per tonne, with the remark that there is little trade in it.
The DCA Indicative Price for silage grass remains the same at €80 per ton. The regular customers remain at the market but there is little else to do. Some traders indicate that there is also little supply of good grass. Less critical buyers can get autumn grass for a lower price.