Quality in doubt despite favourable season

High-yielding, low quality crops are expected this season, however a dry July is starting to change the outlook for new crop hay.

Piling up: While many growers have export contracts at high prices for top grade hay, the season is not conducive to high quality.

THE area sown to hay in southeastern Australia is widely considered to be higher this year and the season is shaping up as one likely to produce high-yielding, low quality crops. However a dry July across all major hay growing regions of Victoria and South Australia is starting to change the outlook for new crop hay.

While August rainfall could change things, soil moistures are on the decline and the season is at a major turning point.

Some frosts have slowed crop growth, particularly in South Australia and along the western border of Victoria.

This dry weather and the July frosts have held back vetch crops near Rainbow and Jeparit, according to local growers.

Much of the growth of vetch crops occurs in September, but without further rain, these paddocks may not have sufficient biomass to justify hay and could be sprayed out earlier for brown manure.

A few vetch crops sown in late March are much bigger in size and have been rolled to slow down their growth. The July frosts have helped to contain the bulk as well.

Vetch has a growing demand as a soft, palatable, high value hay. But it can be difficult to retain the thin leaves in the bale and windrows are prone to discolouration after rain.

Excessive growth and favourable soil moisture could create large tangled crops that become troubled by fungal attack in spring, causing blackened and unsaleable windrows.

Growers of export oaten hay are considering their crops for fungicide applications.

As hay crops are cut much earlier than grain crops, they are less dependent on spring rainfall.

Yield estimates of six to seven tonnes a hectare are considered possible in a broad range of paddocks of the Wimmera and southern Mallee.

While many growers have export contracts at high prices for top grade hay, the favourable season is not conducive to producing high quality.

Costly fungicides will need to be assessed against the benefits of additional returns, particularly if hay is not contracted at high prices.

Already growers are budgeting on ex-farm prices below $180 a tonne for cereal hay, but fungicides that can address red leather leaf disease could pay dividends to improve hay colour and final export grades and payments.

The incidence of this disease is increasing, spread especially from stubbles of previous oat crops.

Winter rainfall is closing off some demand opportunities in dairying areas.

The dry pastures of Bega Valley received rain in mid-July and Gippsland and southwest Victoria have remained relatively dry and dairy farmers are managing to avoid boggy paddocks.

The slow winter demand is playing havoc for the marketing of straw. Fodder merchants estimate that less than 10 per cent of paddock stacked straw is covered with either caps or tarps.

These distressed stocks are a constant worry for growers.

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