NSW hay growers are taking advantage of recent fine conditions after the deluge of rain in the past month to cut their lucerne crops, and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing.
What has slowed is the market for lucerne hay, according to some growers, who say the increase of feed in paddocks and a trend towards buying cheaper hay is behind the downturn in demand.
Allan Moss, who grows lucerne at “Keranna”, near Tamworth, said the market was “not as flash as it was”.
Mr Moss grows lucerne on 121 hectares of his own land, and another 137ha belonging to his son, and makes about 10,000 to 12,000 small square bales a year.
He had some cut hay damaged by rain, which meant he had about 700 bales of cattle hay, which was a loss of about $3 a bale.
Mr Moss said there was less demand recently for the high quality lucerne hay, as producers were buying cheaper cattle hay instead.
He said small square bales were $12 each plus GST, with fine quality horse feed containing about 20 to 23 per cent protein.
The story was the same out west, where hay grower Ian Horton from Bell River Hay near Wellington was hard at work cutting irrigated lucerne hay on his 130ha.
Mr Horton also share farms some crops and does contracting work.
He makes about 15,000 to 20,000 small square lucerne bales and about 3000 large square lucerne bales, plus lucerne silage, which was about 25pc protein.
Mr Horton said the weather had been perfect for hay making, and there was plenty of volume in crops.
He said since the recent rain, the hay market had quietened down.
“The moisture only lasts until the next dry spell,” he said.
“The hay will move more quickly once it dries up.”
Mr Horton said his small lucerne bales were selling for $11 plus GST, and large lucerne square bales for $280 to $330 a tonne plus GST, depending on quality. He was also selling premium chaff hay for cattle for $120/t to $130/t plus GST, and oaten hay for $200/t plus GST.
The rain had also affected quality in the south of the state.
Australian Fodder Industry Association (AFIA) executive officer Darren Keating, Ascot Vale, Victoria, said southern NSW had a great season for hay with good volume, but that there were many crops that had been affected by recent downpours.
He said the market in southern NSW had been quiet, in some cases due to slowing supply to the dairy regions. Hay growing regions such as Bega had an excellent season.
Lucerne in the Bega Valley area was selling for $330/t to $380/t, while it’s worth $300/t to $340/t in the Goulburn/Murray Valley regions, according to AIFA.
If the southern autumn break was late, hay stocks may tighten, creating demand in NSW for supplies.