The roughage market is experiencing quiet demand, while the supply of good silage and organic product remains tight. At the same time, sales are shifting towards alternatives such as feed potatoes. Read more about the roughage market and price developments.
Spring weather is back, and somewhat higher temperatures are forecast for this week. Grass that is already growing well can benefit from this. Mowing will take another week or two. It is mid-April, and now that it is getting warmer, the first livestock farmers are preparing to sow maize. Ideally, the soil needs to warm up a bit more, but if the weather forecast is accurate, the sowing machines can get to work at the end of this week or the beginning of next.
Demand for organic silage
Spring is certainly not extremely early, but demand for maize and silage is on the quiet side according to traders. Regular customers are doing what they have to do, but there are few or no panic purchases due to feed running out. Organic silage, however, is and remains in considerable demand. Certainly in the south, somewhat less was harvested last season due to the drought. Farmers who knew they were short on supplies already took some action in the autumn and winter. Since organic grazing always gets off to a bit of a late start, several traders report having customers who are running a bit short on grass. Finding something suitable for them is difficult.
Incidentally, good conventional silage grass is also not widely available. The DCA Indicative Price remains stable at €90 per ton. There is not much trade in maize silage either. Compared to other years, maize is not expensive, but there is sufficient supply of other cheaper products. The DCA Indicative Price for maize silage drops a little this week to €75 per ton.
One of the alternatives to maize is feed potatoes. Market sentiment regarding this is shifting somewhat. Selling for free is over for most traders. Shredding the potatoes for ensiling or bagging them with crushed barley or dry pulp is quite popular. The DCA Indicative Price for feed potatoes stands at €5 per ton this week.
Run or stand still
Trade in by-products is ticking along a bit. Some traders note that production planning for breweries or potato processors, for example, is quite easily changed at the last minute. As a result, some stock occasionally slips through the cracks and a market needs to be found quickly, but overall, the market is fairly balanced. Prices for liquid streams from potato processing are even being increased slightly. The DCA Indicative Price for brewers' spent grain remains stable at €3,15 per percent dry matter.
Regular work in hay and straw continues. The trade relies primarily on regular customers who order year-round. The DCA Indicative Price for wheat straw remains stable at €165 per ton. Barley straw is €5 above that at €170 per ton. Pasture hay comes in at €200 per ton. There is little trade in grass seed hay, and depending on the variety, the price ranges from €160 to €180 per ton.