Tens of thousands of hectares ‘redirected’ to hay as spring fails croppers

Southeast Australian farmers have cut more than 100,000 hectares of wheat for hay as failed spring rains force dramatic changes to harvest plans.

Southeast Australian farmers have been forced to pivot as large swathes of cropping and livestock regions deal with a spring drought.

In recent weeks, tens of thousands of hectares of cereals destined for harvest have been dropped for hay in areas across Victoria and southern NSW, as farmers try to maximise returns from their plantings after rains failed.

Livestock producers have also lightened numbers as they prepare potentially for months of feeding.

Rain this week will do little for many areas, though it will further boost soil moisture levels and growth in the Western District where the season seems to have turned for the better.

Some farmers, with crops that are still green, are welcoming handy November falls. Bureau of Meteorology figures for the past seven days show Cheltenham received 42mm, Ballarat 32mm, Strathbogie 27mm, Inverleigh 26mm, and Violet Town 22mm.

However, a dry September and October has forced the hand of many croppers.

Digital Agriculture Services uses satellite imagery to track real-time harvest activity, which shows 105,000ha of wheat, or 6.9 per cent of Victoria’s crop, has been “redirected for hay” according to executive officer Anthony Willmott.

“This represents around 317,000 tonnes of potential grain … with the area of wheat cut double that of 2024,” he said.

It adds to about 37,000ha of barley, or 3.6 per cent of Victoria’s crop, cut for hay, while in southern NSW, 70,570ha of wheat and 17,909ha of barley have been redirected – representing an estimated 2 per cent of the wheat area and 1.5 per cent of barley.

Tens of thousands of hectares of crop which was destined for grain has been cut for hay. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Victorian Farmers Federation president Brett Hosking said farmers were frustrated over the failed rainfall forecasts and had been forced to make hard decisions.

“It’s clearly difficult to make a three-month outlook with a level of accuracy but forecasts are something we rely heavily on in agriculture,” Mr Hosking said.

“But shorter term, the wet October outlook meant some people made decisions that they may not have made if they knew it was going to be as dry as it was.”

There will be a massive effect on rural communities from the spring drought according to VFF president Brett Hosking.

Mr Hosking said the dry spring across key cropping areas would put a lot of financial pressure on some farmers and have a “massive effect on rural communities”.

In the Riverina, Sefton Agronomics agronomist Greg Sefton said about 15 per cent of his clients’ grain crops would have been made into hay.

“Rain this week will make no difference to any crops apart from irrigated wheat, as it’s just too late,” Mr Sefton said.

“At least there is a market for hay (made from crops planted for grain) and we are very grateful for that as it is another tool and market.

“We’ve done it all before (a tough season) and we do our budgets over a five-year period as then we can capture these kinds of (tough) years.”

Nutrien southern operations manager Ron Rutledge said any rain that fell this week would give livestock producers options in terms of the timing of selling stock.

“Rain will hold back numbers and there will not be the urgency to sell stock,” Mr Rutledge said.

Nutrien southern operations manager Ron Rutledge said rain this week could stem the flock of stock and give “options”.

And he said the prices for lambs, sheep and cattle meant those that had to sell due to a failed spring were at least being rewarded financially.

Mr Rutledge said areas which had a particularly tight season, such as the Riverina, had been able to quit stock early and earn a premium for surplus ewes, and terminal and Merino lambs.

In the east of Victoria, Glenaladale farmer Rick Coleman said the Bureau of Meteorology forecast 15-35mm for his East Gippsland property on Monday, but he expected the rain would miss his region and head further south.

His typical September rainfall of about 60mm of rain failed to deliver this year.

“This year we’ve copped the dry side of the rain for a lot of it.” he said.

“In October we had about half our usual and it’s just been enough to kick things off a bit and take pressure off, but really there’s bugger-all feed around, it’s a tight season here at the moment.”

He manages an Angus herd and decided to sell all weaner cattle in September and was “so glad we did”.

But prospects for the season south of the divide are more promising.

Western Districts farmer Stewart Hamilton of Inverleigh said he had measured 300mm of rainfall from November last year until now, against a more usual 550mm.

He said Western District farmers were accustomed to wet conditions and waterlogging. Now they were welcoming every shower.

“We have had 20 mm here since midnight on Sunday, and now every small amount of rain is literally adding money to the bottom line,” he said.

A spokesman for the Bureau of Meteorology said the accuracy for its long-range forecasts was lower “because it becomes harder to predict the future the further out it’s checked”.

He said forecast accuracy had improved 25 per cent in the past 15 years.