After a good grass-growing year there should be no real shortage of good quality winter forage.
According to Teagasc in its latest beef update stocks of silage and hay will have been well replenished and certainly for anyone buying fodder, prices will have eased compared with previous years.
It says on the ration front it looks as though good yields nationally and globally have reduced prices of barley and wheat. Other concentrates such as maize meal and soyabean meal are also trading at lower prices this year.
Teagasc says the consequence of this is that ration prices should be back close on €30/t this year, which is good for beef farmers but is probably more significant for pig and poultry producers.
The Teagasc relative feed value table (Table 1) rates all other feeds against barley and soyabean meal where rolled barley costs €190/t and soyabean is €465/t.
If you can buy any of the feeds at or below the price in the column ‘Value (per t as fed)’ then they represent good value.
