While milk prices may be under some pressure, this isn't reflected in the demand for feed. Suppliers, especially in by-products, are struggling to serve all their customers. Straw is also rising slightly this week, but that's mainly due to demand from bulbs.
Various processing industries are certainly not operating at full capacity. Whether it's the French fry industry or beer brewing, they're operating at full capacity. Stoppages and line shutdowns are readily scheduled. This also affects the quantities of certain residual flows that become available. For products like steam peels, potato chips, or brewers' grains, various traders could sell more than they are currently receiving. The DCA Indicative Price for brewers' grains has increased to €3,85 per percent dry matter.
Not everywhere, however, there is a shortage. Pressed pulp and cigarant are more readily available than predicted before the start of the campaign, thanks to good sugar beet and chicory yields. Several traders expect that potato press fiber will also become more readily available soon. The corn harvest is largely over, and with it, demand for press fiber for covering corn silage is also declining.
Late corn is still standing
The maize harvest isn't quite finished yet. Some late-sown plots are barely ripe, or not ripe at all. With the rain that fell last night and is forecast for later in the week, it's questionable what's the right thing to do. We're heading towards the end of October, and if it rains 40 or 50 millimeters then, it won't fall off in two days. On the other hand, we've seen plenty of times this season where the forecasted rain doesn't actually materialize. The DCA Indicative Price for maize silage remains unchanged at €67,50 per tonne.
Now that the weather seems to be turning, the grazing season might be over. However, demand for straw from livestock farming isn't much higher. There is considerable straw demand, but that's mainly from bulb growers. They want long straw, and there's not much of that this season. Especially where threshing was a bit later and a shower passed while the straw was in the swath, the straw is short. Much of the long straw comes from France, and French arable farmers are reluctant to part with it now. The DCA Indicative Price for both wheat and barley straw is rising by €5 to €165 per tonne. For long straw, some forage traders are quoting prices a tenner or more higher.
Haymaking continues as usual, but it's not busy. Demand for grass seed hay is considerably higher than last season. Thanks in part to the generally good quality of grass seed hay and the relatively high price of straw, grass seed hay is making a comeback. The price range for grass seed hay ranges from €165 for English ryegrass to €180 for red fescue.
According to some insiders, the supply of feed potatoes is increasing somewhat. This is partly due to declining demand for potatoes to ensile corn or the last cut of grass. There is also a slight increase in supply from arable farmers who waited to harvest, hoping the potato market would pick up a bit. They are now choosing to play it safe. The DCA indicative price for feed potatoes remains stable at €40 per tonne, delivered free to the farmer.