The effects of the past wet season are still clearly noticeable on the roughage market. For example, the supply of straw is not very large, while silage grass is relatively easy to find. In the by-products, the supply of pressed fibre from the starch industry is drying up, while steam peels from the French fry industry are increasingly coming onto the market.
The supply of straw is certainly not great. A lot of straw from the Netherlands, France and Germany has already been promised. If you want some, you have to get it from further away, according to traders. For example, there is quite a bit to be found in Spain, but it is expensive to get that straw to the Netherlands. In other years, it is sometimes possible to get some from Denmark (although the Dutch trade is less keen on the 'Heston packs' that are common in Denmark), but there is little supply there now either. The moderate grain yields of last season are still trickling through to the straw market. Due to the somewhat tight supply, the DCA Indicative Price for both wheat and barley straw is taking a step up to €185 per tonne.
There is limited trade in grass seed hay. There is a bit more supply from arable farmers who have been waiting and now feel the time is right to say goodbye. Because grass seed hay was difficult to supply throughout the season, several livestock farmers have switched to hammered straw, for example. If that works well, they are less inclined to look for alternatives. The trade in grass seed hay is therefore somewhat tough. The DCA Indicative Price is €170 per tonne. For meadow hay, it is the regular customers who remain on the market. The price remains stable at €190 per tonne.
End of campaign products
In the by-products, the supply of campaign products is slowly drying up. This also means that the press pulp campaign is over. The potato starch factories are scaling down, which means that less press fibre is coming onto the market. The French fry industry is stepping up a gear, which means that a product such as potato steam peels is more widely available. The supply of feed potatoes is limited. The DCA Indicative Price remains stable at €50 per tonne, if they are available.
By-products from grain processing such as wheat yeast concentrate or corn gluten remain fairly stable or tend to increase. The DCA Indicative Price for brewers grains remains stable this week at €3,75 per percent dry matter. Demand and supply of brewers grains are fairly well balanced according to suppliers.
In silage maize, the amount done varies quite a bit. Some traders still need to get the demand going, while others have pretty good work for this time of year. The DCA Indicative Price for silage maize this week is €90 per tonne.
In the case of silage, it is mainly the more intensive companies that always buy grass. There is sufficient supply of silage, but good grass suitable for goats, for example, is not given away by sellers. The DCA Indicative Price for silage is €80 per ton. For slightly wetter harvested autumn grass, the price is quickly €10 or more lower.