Saturday, March 30, 2024

Summer rain is a gift for Vic farmers

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As farmers in eastern Victoria pick up the pieces after ravaging bush fires and three years of drought those in the state’s west are helping those who need to fill a feed supply gap, buoyed by the benefit of unseasonal rainfall.
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David Cossar, a large-scale hay cropper in central Victoria’s southern Mallee district said last season was as good as he could ever hope for in the vast, tough 500mm annual rainfall country. And 50mm of rain since New Year helped his operation to a good start this year.

In true Victorian style his operation is big, with his 3000ha generating 40,000 small bales of hay a year for domestic sale both locally and interstate. A further 10,000 large bales are exported. He also supplies a neighbouring 20,000 head feed lot with supplement.

Cossar’s hay production last year benefited from two exceptional autumn rain breaks of 40-50mm, bringing soil moisture up to healthy levels well before summer hit.

“I don’t think we had ever seen yields, quality and prices as aligned as they have been,” he said.  

As an Australian Fodder Industry Association board member he appreciates more than most the huge benefit the summer’s unseasonal rain has brought the industry as fodder supplies flowed west to east. 

“In the early days after the New Year bush fires there was a real concern about us running out of fodder. 

“Exporters of fodder got a hard time to wind that back when, in fact, we are only exporting about 10% of our total fodder production. Meantime the rain has slowed down demand.”

The recent rain in parts of western Victoria fell sporadically in more eastern areas hit hardest by bush-fire pasture loss.

Demand for supplement has continued, albeit at a slower pace, and the Victorian Farmers Federation has been overseeing donated supplies to affected farmers, delivering in total 8400t.

United Dairy Farmers of Victoria manager Ashlee Hammond said the trucking distances have been from 650km to 800km in the wake of fires, literally hauling hay from one side of the state to the other.

“The logistics have been a big part of the drive. We have not been short of supply from farmers willing to help out and that is quite remarkable given many were facing the prospect early in the new year of another dry season and could have probably done with having it on hand for themselves just in case.”

Cossar put up a load of high-quality hay for the drive.

“You give it if you have got it. I have had letters from people thanking me for the hay sent to them. It almost puts a tear in your eye to get that. You always hope no one will have to send any to us but feel they would if they had to.”

He has one client in western Queensland who had sunk $500,000 into feed supplement over the past two years just to keep his stock alive. He has stopped ordering only in the wake of the recent rain there and further south.

Cossar said there is a strong sense of optimism in a country where a dry patch tends to be measured more in years than the weeks most Kiwi farmers are familiar with .

That is supported by industry analyst Mecardo. 

Market analyst Matt Dalgleish said there are strong signals drought that has dogged much of the state for almost three years has shifted, with areas like Ballarat getting as much as a quarter of the annual rainfall in recent weeks.

Sightings of mushrooms, an indication of warm, moist, autumn-like conditions have been recorded around the southern Victorian city’s boundaries.

“Normally, February is our hottest month. We have had a cool one so far with 150mm of rainfall. We can’t recall when it has been as green as it is at this time of year.”

For Cossar the season is shaping up to be business as usual with a portion of his baled hay destined for export to China and Japan while local equestrian demand claims a large portion of his high-quality oaten and straw hay business.

MORE: 

Stories on how Australian farmers are dealing with fires, floods and drought in next week’s Farmers Weekly

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