Feed Central recognises its premier hay producers in Bendigo

Feed Central's managing director Tim Ford. Toowoomba, was speaking before presenting the company's annual hay awards at the Bendigo Australian Fodder Industry Association national conference.

Winners came from Victoria, NSW and South Australia.

Mr Ford said when the company started in 2002, the wool and wheat industry were the "breadwinners" for most of the country.

"It was a model that took some years to break," Mr Ford told the conference.

"There was great discontentment with the wool-wheat model, which was broken, and people were looking for something else."

The Millennial drought was raging but there was growing interest in feed testing.

"The only way to control ryegrass was with hay, and the big square bale was certainly getting a lot of traction."

Margins for hay were equal to, or better than, grain, so gave people a lot of options, he said.

"Today things are different, the beef, lamb, cotton, canola, lentils, are all providing good solid gross margin returns and are all competing, where hay took off during those early 2000's to 2020," he said.

Mechanisms to control ryegrass without making hay had also had an impact, he said.

"Labour shortages have been another impact in driving some people out of the industry."

As a result hay making was not as trendy, as it once was.

"A lot of contractors have diversified their businesses, they are probably now spray and harvesting businesses and may be doing some hay," he said.

"Grower businesses have also diversified."

Burt he said there was a strong need to recognise growers through the awards, for the effort which went into making fodder when a lot of things were against the industry.

"With the bad weather, and everything we have had, labour shortages, really high transport costs and so forth, there has been a big effort to make some great hay," he said.

Mr Ford said all winners had prospered despite the challenging conditions.

Despite the lack of quality product for the 2022-23 season, Mr Ford was more upbeat about the prospects for this season.

"I think it's looking really good," he said.

"Some areas are dry but there is good growth in most areas. A dry season is predicted so we are expecting good quality hay.

"Last year there was a series of ongoing weather fronts when hay was on the ground; we would be extremely unlucky to get that again this year."

He said 802 lots had been entered in the annual competition, with an average lot size of 250 tonnes.

The Lucerne Visual Award went to irrigated growers the Radcliffe family, Tyisha Pastoral Company, Kerang; the Lucerne Hay Feed Test award was won by Bill Ferguson, Cumboogle Farming, Dubbo, NSW, while the Peacock family from Timmering, Victoria was runner up.

Brad Griffiths, Mallala South Australia was the national winner for both the Best Cereal Visual Score and the Best Cereal Feed Test.

The hay grading of FC AA was a "remarkable feat, given the season," Mr Ford said.

The Eckert family, Mentara Park Farms, Meningie, SA, took out the heaviest bale with a weight of 926 kilograms.

"Feed Central has a passion for heavy bales as the number one efficiency for both on farm storage and transport, across the country," Mr Ford said.

"There is lots and lots of hay moving about the country, nationally up highways, north, south, east and west, almost regardless of seasonal conditions these days - bale weights are very important to Feed Central."