THE OLD saying is that it is only a mistake if you don’t learn from it.
With this in mind farmers experimenting with hay for the first time this year as a result are being urged to record their management strategies and the outcome to see whether hay making is worthwhile in other years.
Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) southern grower relations manager Darren Arney said record keeping (notes, photographs and videos) will form an important resource for growers in coming years, should they be required to again cut crops in response to seasonal conditions.
To this end, the GRDC has just published an updated Hay and Silage Fact Sheet on making the most of a failed winter crop.
“By recording the actions taken, the practices applied and the results achieved, growers will be much better placed should they be forced to cut their crops in future years,” Mr Arney said.
“They will have at hand a useful resource which details strategies previously implemented and the impact and results of those decisions and it can be used as a rule of thumb can be a useful tool when under pressure to make decisions in a timely manner.”
Growers are reminded that market variability and volatility should be factored into any future decision making when referring to benchmarks and returns recorded from previous seasons.
Mr Arney said areas to consider were the quality of the hay, whether canola or cereal, could vary enormously and to test the fodder and factor the quality into the record keeping process.