VICTORIA'S most-productive hay growing region, southwest Victoria, has produced a large bulk of hay this season.
Variable hay quality is expected to be the biggest issue this season.
In the coastal strip up to 100km inland from Mortlake to Penola, in South Australia, paddocks are filled with round bales of grass and pasture hay. Production is better than last year, but estimates put the region's hay production 20 per cent below a normal season.
Contractors estimate that at least half of this hay received rain while curing in the windrow during November.
Early testing of both hay and grain showed a trend towards lower levels of protein this season.
Contractors have observed that hay is not very sappy this year, suggesting grasses are fibrous and bulky but lack high-quality sugars.
The hot weather before the rain caused a rapid haying off of grass paddocks, and the quality of pasture hay deteriorated.
Also, the higher yields from fast-growing pasture stands this year could dilute the nutritional value of feeds.
The impact of rain on windrows has further reduced the nutritional quality of hay, rendering most as lower-quality suitable for feeding to dry cows.
With more rain forecast to fall tomorrow on hay yet to bale, problems continue for hay producers.
Rain in southwest Victoria has extended the grazing of pastures and delayed the need for supplementary feeding for a full month.
Add to this the high volume of grass hay and the hay market could start to appear heavily supplied in western Victoria.
The low level of trading and lack of hay trucks on Victorian roads suggests an adequate supply of feed.
While expectations of hay production and potential demand have varied greatly with the significant swings in weather since September, buyers now are comfortable that supply will be available when they need hay next autumn and winter.
This is a return to a normal hay supply pattern for this time of the year.
There is a small trade of grass hay from southern Victoria to farms between Heywood and Cobden at about $130 a tonne delivered, a $20 a tonne discount to cereal hay.
Looking ahead to next year, hay sellers are holding on to hopes that an improving outlook for milk prices will work in their favour and provide much-needed cash to dairy farmers by boosting milk production through higher rates of feeding.
The great variation of quality should drive an expanding premium for quality proportional to the anticipated level of production from animals.
