Spring has been going according to plan so far. The manure could be spread on time, cows could go outside early and the first cut of grass was harvested under beautiful conditions. By now, a shower of rain is more than welcome. There is still little unrest in the forage trade, but the mood is starting to shift a bit.
It is only mid-May but it feels like high summer. The first cut of grass has almost been received everywhere and the manure for the second cut has already been spread a long way. However, there is no sign of rapid regrowth yet. Rain is needed for that and that is not what the weather forecasts are saying. However, there is not much activity in the silage trade yet. Most trade is still done in silage from last season. In general, it is not the very best grass that the cows really give milk on that is offered. The DCA Indicative Price for good silage grass is slightly higher this week, at €80 per ton. Grass from the new harvest is also offered somewhat, but these are often bales. Some people also bought some on the stem last week.
Ask for corn
Silage maize is in high demand, but there is also quite a bit of supply. What will happen in the coming weeks is a subject for discussion. One trader points out that the maize was sown under good conditions and on time this season. The relatively high temperatures are favourable for rapid development of the crop and the starting point is therefore a lot better than last year at this time when a lot still had to be sown. Others look more at the current drought and expect that if this continues for another two weeks, the demand for maize could increase considerably. The supply is not such that this can be easily absorbed. The DCA Indicative Price for silage maize remains stable at €95 per tonne.
The demand for by-products is good. Products from the potato and grain processing industry are easily finding their way according to suppliers and prices remain stable or even increase slightly. In brewers' grains, waiting times are also increasing slightly at some suppliers. It is not yet very shocking, but a waiting time of one or two weeks is not unusual. The DCA Indicative Price for brewers' grains is therefore increasing this week by €0,10 to €3,40 per percent dry matter.
The exception in the by-products and residual products are the feed potatoes. They are available in abundance. In recent weeks, many feed potatoes have been delivered to be ensiled with the grass. Now that the grass is covered in plastic, the demand for feed potatoes has become somewhat quieter. "Now it remains more with one container to feed directly," according to a trader. The DCA Indicate price for feed potatoes is €40 per tonne.
Barns with straw are getting empty
The straw trade is continuing quietly. According to forage traders, several suppliers are empty, but there is still straw available. Partly due to the early spring in which cattle could easily go outside, there is also not a lot of demand for straw. The new harvest is also not far away. Another six weeks or so and then the first winter barley straw will be pressed again. Are arable farmers who still have straw sitting around getting nervous and do they want to have the barn empty in the coming weeks, or will the barn empty itself and will it be tight in the last weeks of the season? The DCA Indicative Price for both wheat and barley straw remains stable at €185 per tonne.
There is limited trade in hay. There is hardly any trade in grass seed hay. There is not much grass seed hay left, but livestock farmers are not asking for it either. The DCA Indicative Price this week is €165 per tonne. There is still a fair amount of meadow hay on offer from last year and due to the constant dry weather there is already the first hay of this new season. Whether you should want that very early hay now is another matter according to a trader. The weather is good, but the grass must have been lying long enough so that there is no heating. The DCA Indicative Price for meadow hay remains stable at €185 per tonne.