The snow makes for beautiful scenery but also brings a lot of inconvenience. From polder roads becoming impassable to livestock farmers trying to delay deliveries until the snow has melted. It's a balancing act, especially when it comes to byproducts, according to traders.
The feed market feels a bit chaotic. On the one hand, everything is starting up again this week after the Christmas holidays, and on the other, the winter weather is causing problems. This is especially true for by-products. Stocks of some products are quite high because less has been done in the past two weeks. Some livestock farmers who were on the list this week for products like brewer's grains or pressed pulp are calling themselves, saying it's not possible right now. Now it's a struggle to get the hole open, while in a few days the snow will be gone again.
Buyer's market
This does make the byproduct market somewhat more buyer-friendly. Waiting times are common for most products. Several suppliers indicate they're having to work hard again to get everything placed. Brewers' grains are declining this week to €3,85 per percent dry matter. Feed potatoes remain unchanged at €30 per tonne.
Hay and straw production continues as usual. Straw supply is slowly picking up, but French arable farmers are in no hurry to sell. Straw prices vary considerably, ranging from €155 delivered in the south to €180 in the north. The DCA indicative price for both wheat and barley straw is €165 per tonne. Hay trade is relatively slow. The DCA indicative price for meadow hay is €200 per tonne. Grass seed hay is priced at €170 to €180 per tonne, depending on the variety.
There's limited trade in grass silage. "There are plenty of round bales for young cows, but good silage for dairy cows is hard to find," says one trader. The DCA indicative price for grass silage is €80 per tonne. There's also little trade in corn silage. It's mainly farms in peat meadow areas that are buying. As we get further along, there will also be some demand from livestock farmers who are short on corn. The DCA indicative price is €85 per tonne.