Coastal vs. inland: Southwest Victoria’s hay harvest divide

Coastal farmers see hope while inland producers struggle as patchy rainfall fails to break southwest Victoria's two-year drought crisis.

Southwest Victorian farmers are hoping for extended spring rain with mediocre rainfall results failing to take the edge off the two-year drought.

Dairy farmers and other primary producers have delayed hay and silage harvests due to patchy rainfall tallies, with many pushing back their usual cutting start dates by more than a fortnight as yield expectations hang in the balance.

Food and Fibre Great South Coast chairwoman Oonagh Kilpatrick said the region’s farmers had experienced mixed results up to mid October, with the final six weeks of spring crucial for fodder yields.

Mrs Kilpatrick, who operates a dairy farm near Koroit, said fodder conservation was still tight for some farmers, having cut less than usual this spring, while other primary producers had seen an uptick in yield.

“Across the southwest, rainfall has been sporadic, but there does appear to be a harvest with capacity underway,” she said.

“Soil moisture and dam refill are of major concern, both ultimately critical going forward for the whole region.”

Hay cutting is set to be delayed by several weeks in some parts of southwest Victoria. PICTURE: ZOE PHILLIPS

Mrs Kilpatrick said one Mortlake region farmer she spoke to had processed a high volume of silage recently at 8 bales per hectare, but still needed more rain to ensure a second cut for hay.

With many southwest farmers becoming more self-sufficient due to recent rain, vetch prices have eased to roughly $420 a tonne, down from a peak of over $700 a tonne earlier this year.

United Dairyfarmers of Victoria president Bernie Free said southwest Victoria was a tale of two halves, with the coastal districts on track for a robust hay and silage yield.

“But the further inland you go, the poorer the yield is,” Mr Free, who farms at Winslow, north of Warrnambool said.

“Farms close to the coast have had a better spring than they thought they’d have, which is good to see, and the whole region looks green.

“Having said that, the drought is far from over just because the paddocks look OK.

“I’ve started on silage on my farm and our harvest is two to three weeks earlier than usual.”

Terang region dairy farmer Daniel Meade said while spring yields were reasonable, it was not the whole story.

“Silage yields have been slightly better than average but there are concerns that the season cuts off early. The soil moisture reserves are way down, so a longer mild spring would really help with recovery,” he said.