Bale-busting EP hay yields hit 8t/ha

Windrowing and hay contractors Ian Proude and Darryl Carrison have been busy during the past month, moving across the Lower Eyre Peninsula cutting crops.

Mr Proude said he started his run at the end of August and finished on Sunday night, with some outstanding results achieved during his stints at Tooligie, Murdinga, Darke Peak, Tumby Bay, Louth Bay, Wangary and Greenpatch.

He has been busy preparing a range of hay crops from medic, vetch, cereal rye, oats and medic mix stands.

"Yields would be close to record, and definitely above average," he said.

"The quality has been excellent, there hasn't been any rain on the crops to affect the quality."

Mr Proude said there was minimal carryover from 2014.

"Sheds are pretty well empty from the previous year," he said.

He said seasonal conditions were in stark contrast to last year.

"After a tough finish to the spring of 2014, a lot of the hay crops didn't yield that well and dried out very quickly," he said.

"But, 2015 has been exactly the opposite, with plenty of moisture and good sugar levels in all the stands with a rich greenness."

Mr Proude said the hay would be used across a wide area.

"A lot of the medic hay has been sold into NT cattle feedlots in Alice Springs and Katherine, with trucks waiting to load as soon as it's put into big square bales, for ease of transport," he said.

"Rex Chilman, Louth Bay, has cut 60 hectares of top quality Winteroo oat hay, of which a lot goes to the Port Lincoln racehorse industry. Yields look to be excellent – up to 8 tonnes/ha.

"A couple of our clients have put up large sheds for storing hay for sale, ensuring a good supply for those looking to buy excellent quality EP hay."

The blast of hot weather a few weeks back prompted many farmers, particularly in the South East and Mallee, to cut their crops for hay instead of waiting for the grain market.

Feed Central managing director Tim Ford said growers would be best to organise their cashflow and storage to avoid panic selling at harvest.

"Some crops that were intended for grain will go to hay, especially in Vic, but there's no need to panic about marketing the hay," Mr Ford said.

He said it wasn't unusual for a lot of hay to be made quickly because of weather issues such as drought or frost, but there would still be a strong long-term market.

"Something like this happens most years – it could be drought, it could be frost and the market always manages it," he said.

"The key message is that the market will be there for hay.

"We always make hay within a 60-day window from about the start of October. Most of the hay is made within a six-week period, so this is not that unusual and it then typically sells in autumn."

Mr Ford said that in his experience with Feed Central, all hay would sell in an annual cycle and farmers should carefully manage their sales to avoid falling prices.

Australia typically makes between nine and 11 million tonnes of hay each year and Mr Ford said this year's haul was likely to be roughly the same.

There have been predictions that Vic's hay production could increase by 20 per cent with many wheat crops being cut for hay, but Mr Ford said this wouldn't be a problem for the market.

"We can handle a 20pc increase in Vic's volume of hay," he said.