WITH favourable spring rain, the hay harvest in western Victoria has produced a large volume of grass-dominant hay that is generally lower in quality than last year.
Delayed cutting and difficult curing conditions, including rain, have taken a toll on hay quality.
Some farmers around Hamilton are keen for a return from hay and have offered hay as cheaply as $100 a tonne ex farm.
Those producers who have quality hay and are more confident of market prospects, continue to store their hay.
With the hay making season only recently finished and the current burst of hot weather, it is one time of the year when hay fires can occur.
Monitoring hay sheds for signs of heat, sunken bales or tobacco-type smells is advised.
Additives, such as inoculants and preservatives, have also offered farmers and contractors a new hay-making tool.
When treated correctly, these products can speed up hay making and reduce exposure to rain by expanding the moisture range of hay at baling.
Manufacturers' claims, which have been supported by anecdotal evidence, suggest that these additives also reduce the risks of spontaneous combustion.
The art of making both round and square-baled hay is becoming more technical requiring greater attention to detail during production and marketing.
Due to the treatment of hay with additives, hay is being made in an expanding range of moistures.
It is possible to see hay in the market with moisture differences of as much as 8 to 10 per cent.
With hay priced at, say, $200 per tonne delivered to the buyer, 10 per cent moisture can mean a $20 difference in the final price.
Sellers of high-moisture hay treated with these additives could rightfully argue that their hay has a higher nutritional value as it has spent less time curing, less exposure to rain and higher leaf content than the lower-moisture hay. A report drawn from a sample of an aggregate of core samples should determine this.
It is common to see hay offered for sale on a price-per-bale basis. With higher moisture hay in the market, bale weights will become much heavier than hay baled at say 13 per cent.
While a price per roll is convenient for small lots of hay fed to stock for a maintenance diet, a more equitable method of pricing hay needs to account for these moisture and quality differences for larger lots.
About six years ago, some dairy farmers in Tasmania began purchasing hay based on a price per megajoule of energy. This was a big step in hay marketing and the practice has not been adopted widely since. In the future hay that has been trading at $60 per roll may more accurately trade at two cents per megajoule.
