For many Victorian hay producers, the rain has been a case of too much of a good thing.
Jesse Lourey, Australian Fodder Industry Association (AFIA) industry development officer, following the first wet and cold winter of many years, hay crops in most of Victoria’s production areas were looking good.
“But it hasn’t stopped raining,” Mr Lourey said, adding that growers had been been blocked from getting on paddocks to spray and harvest.
He said the hay harvest was running a couple of weeks later than normal, and now across the state, most producers were cutting and curing.
As a result, not much hay has been put on the market yet and trading is quiet.
Mr Lourey said AFIA expected the quality of hay to be down because of heavy rainfall and/or plants getting too mature before farmers were able to harvest them.
He said a lot crop planned for hay had gone to seed.
He said they also did not expect volumes to be as high as expected earlier in the year.
“We’ve also noticed this season because things are tight, for example dairy prices are poor, instead of buying in fodder, dairy farmers have instead produced their own, so we will probably see less hay traded.”
He advises people to get feed tested and buy from trusted suppliers, to ensure people got value for money.
Major hay producing regions, particularly the Murray and Goulburn Valleys, sustained heavy rain events that will impact the volume and quality of hay produced.
However, hay production in those regions is looking better than a couple of weeks ago.
“A couple of weeks ago, it was doom and gloom especially in the north, but we’re hearing that growers are surprised by how well the crops have been able to soak up the moisture and we’ve had some good curing conditions,” Mr Lourey said.
