The dry matter price of grass is important for the calculation of fauna damage that farmers experience. When geese graze grasslands bare, farmers must purchase replacement feed for their cows. The price of the grass lost due to fauna damage is calculated based on the market value of replacement feed. The dry matter prices are drawn up by Wageningen UR Livestock Research on behalf of BIJ12. This happens at different times during the year.
Damage to first cut
Cows in the meadow
In the spring, the dry matter prices are determined and used to calculate damage to the first cut of grass, also known as spring grass. A price is set for both conventional and organic business operations. Because spring grass has a higher nutritional value, the price is usually higher than the rest of the year. The price of conventional (non-organically grown) grass is based on current feed value prices for dairy cattle. The ratio price for purchasing silage maize compared to the calculated feed value price is also determined, because in practice the livestock farmer can always purchase the cheapest replacement feed material.
This spring, the energy price (kVEM price) in particular is lower compared to last year. This is because grains and grain by-products have fallen in price. Protein-rich raw materials still remain expensive, which means that the ‘kg DVE surcharge’ also remains high. This results in a price for spring grass of 29 cents per kilogram of dry matter. The price for organic spring grass is 55 cents per kilogram of dry matter.
View the drying agent prices for spring grass below:
