Longer days and warmer temperatures see crops bounce back
Hay and silage producers remain optimistic for yields, but quality remains unclear.
PASTURES and crops are responding to the longer days and warmer temperatures.
Given the recent rainfall and early establishment of their crops and pastures, hay and silage producers remain optimistic for yields, but hay quality remains unclear.
In southeast Australia, the 2020-21 fodder season has kicked off.
The early bulk and drier weather enabled cutting of cereal silage in northern Victoria and the Riverina before the rain late last month.
Barley crops, in particular, have been ideal in providing a bulk of early feed that is harvestable.
Since the 20-30mm that fell on August 8-9, these crops have responded well and have bounced back with another 150mm of growth.
For the time, conditions under foot in northern Victoria are considered too wet to cut and ensile cereal crops.
As well as falls earlier this month, Shepparton received another 20mm last week, while farms between Echuca and Cohuna received 10- 12mm.
Extensive rain is forecast across southeast Australia, with another 15-25mm tipped to fall over the Goulburn Valley and eastern Riverina this week.
Affordable irrigation water is expected to mean increased interest in planting of corn silage in the Murray Valley.
With yields of about 20 tonne a hectare of high-quality dry matter, corn makes an ideal source of winter feed for milking cows.
Further south, dairy farmers in Gippsland are planning to start their silage programs early next month.
Unlike the past three winters, the east coast lows have been kind to farmers in East Gippsland this year, providing above-average rainfall for the past three months.
Conditions are still too cool for a strong rebound in pasture growth, but beef producers near Bruthen are enjoying the run-off and the small yet consistent pick for their stock.
These conditions set the scene for reduced demand and increasing competition between hay sellers for sales.
During May and June, windrows of timothy hay and the first cut of lucerne in northwest US have suffered under 120mm of rain over a six-week period.
About half of this hay has been weather damaged and further quality decline has come from delays in cutting.
While most of this hay has been sold by growers and the weather has since been dry, the supply chain has cheap, low-quality hay bound for the north Asian market.
Australian hay exporters can expect some tough competition in low grade hay markets and one way to compete is with supplies of high-quality hay.
Victoria has been a favourable source of high-quality hay for exporters over the past two years, but drier conditions and smaller crops in Western Australia may be higher in quality this season.
A dry September may still temper oaten hay yields and increase the grading of hay within the contracted payment scales of exporters, but low-quality hay may struggle to achieve prices of more than $180 a tonne ex-farm.
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