Council-owned saleyards forced to nearly double hay prices

Dry weather and feed shortages have forced the hand of a Victorian rural council, which has nearly doubled the hay price at its saleyards.

A Western District saleyard says it has been forced to up its hay prices after widespread shortages and dry weather has left its paddocks bare.

But Gippsland-based saleyards, with a different seasonal pattern, are having a bumper year and estimate enough hay to service growing yarding numbers.

Colac Regional Saleyards, which is owned by Colac Otway Shire Council, upped the price for round hay bales from $80 to $150 this week.

Colac Otway Shire Council community and economy general manager Ian Seuren said the council had about 20 hectares of land dedicated to accommodation, with typically enough feed to cover livestock in-house.

But recent shortages and weather conditions have forced the council to nearly double its hay price to continue the weekly service.

“We certainly don’t have the feed we normally would, we’re using a lot more hay,” Mr Seuren said.

“The past few years we’ve been able to cut hay from another council property, which would typically get us through 12 months but it got us through four months.”

The council would typically cut its own hay from a former landfill site.

An RLX spokesperson said a dry winter had also lowered the sector’s hay reserves this year.

RLX operates nine saleyards between Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland, with sites at Ballarat, Mortlake and Miners Rest.

“RLX’s scale in operating sites up the east coast from Victoria to Queensland supports long-term supply relationships and bulk buying which can assist producers choosing to feed at its sites and help cushion them against some of these market fluctuations,” the spokesperson said.

For the Victorian Livestock Exchange, which has a Koonwarra site near Leongatha, managing director Brian Paynter said they had a reasonable stockload and avoided any new pricing levels.

“We’ll be cutting silage very soon, within a week,” he said.

Mr Paynter said they purchased a property within the past three years and had started cutting feed, aiming for two cuts before Christmas, and one in the new year.

“We’re getting more and more cattle coming in earlier than the sale days, we’re holding cattle pre-sale for longer and post-sale for longer,” he said.

“We’re getting cattle from further afield and with logistics, if we’re able to hold cattle prior to the day of sale it suits transporters and vendors.”