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June brings another lift in ration prices
A number of NI feed merchants have applied a £10 to £15/t price increase on concentrate rations from 1 June.
In most cases, the rises have been made by those merchants who left feed prices unchanged during May. The increases mean that a high maize finisher ration is priced between £260 and £285/t, with the higher end of the price range for pelleted rations with rumen buffers included.
General-purpose cattle rations typically start around the £265/t mark, depending on the quality of protein sources included in the mix.
Dairy rations are in the region of £285 to £300/t for 18% to 20% protein content with discounts on larger volumes. Lamb finishing pellets are approximately £290 to £300/t.
Spot markets remain extremely robust with little sign of lower prices on offer for merchants locking in forward contracts for the autumn.
Barley is costing in the region of £230 to £235/t up £10/t on early May, with maize rising to £265/t, up by as much as £20/t on last month.
However, soya has eased and can be bought around the £370/t mark with hulls costing £185 to £190/t. Distillers is holding steady around the £280 to £290/t mark, with sugar beet pulp at £250 to £260/t.
Merchants report a busy spring period, with some estimates that sales increased by 10% to 15% due to a combination of strong market prices for milk, cattle and sheep, as well as farmers using purchased feed to compensate for the late spring.
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