February 2022 Hay Market Snapshot

BUYERS UPDATE (by Cieran Maxwell)

Over the last fortnight it has been great to see a number of buyers be proactive in securing volumes of quality fodder before the traditional winter rush. This week our buyers have been largely chasing protein hay for weaning and milk production.

It is encouraging to see many buyers doing their research on 52.64.21.236 and either calling us or using the enquiry or bid buttons to proceed with their order. To all those that have complimented us on our upgraded website, thank you, your feedback is appreciated. 

LUCERNE

There is an exceptional range of Lucerne in our system right now, where both the visual grade and the feed test are very good.

There are a few keen sellers with very attractive prices, but many regions have only one decent lucerne cut to go and the dryland producers are starting to graze. Therefore, most sellers are holding firm on price, knowing that winter demand is just around the corner and that peak production is quickly passing. 

The best line of lucerne in our system is from Gladstone SA, with a visual score of FCAA, protein of 22.7 and M.E. of 10.3; this lot was recently inspected by Stephen Page. At $300 per tonne (ex-farm), this lot is exceptional value for money. We currently have lucerne listed online and ready for sale in QLD, NSW, VIC and SA.

There are a few keen sellers with very attractive prices, but many regions have only one decent lucerne cut to go and the dryland producers are starting to graze. Therefore, most sellers are holding firm on price, knowing that winter demand is just around the corner and that peak production is quickly passing. 

The best line of lucerne in our system is from Gladstone SA, with a visual score of FCAA, protein of 22.7 and M.E. of 10.3; this lot was recently inspected by Stephen Page. At $300 per tonne (ex-farm), this lot is exceptional value for money. We currently have lucerne listed online and ready for sale in QLD, NSW, VIC and SA.

VETCH

There is very limited supply of quality vetch where both visual presentation and feed test are of a satisfactory standard. We recommend you search our system and compare the price and quality of the vetch, you should specifically compare the value of lucerne to vetch and consider what the extra quality is worth to your business. Remember, lucerne is known as the ‘king of fodder’ for a reason.

CEREAL HAY

We have volumes of cereal listed in all states. Quality is variable. Our visual grading and feed testing systems are doing a first-class job of sorting the wheat from the chaff. Quality Cereal hay is selling. Presuming that the normal Autumn buying kicks in then our concern is that by winter only downgraded lines will be available.  To secure good quality cereal feel free to call us or go online and set your search parameters to filter by Visual Grade, Storage and Feed Test parameters.

STRAW

We have active and open orders for straw. If you have something we would welcome your listing and we can put you touch with hay making contractors with  a reputation to get the job done, especially for large paddocks through NSW.

Please note all product must pass through our Quality Assurance System before listing on the website or being offered to buyers. Call us or list online and we can walk you through the process.

SELLERS UPDATE
– (By Jill Parker)

Our grower services manager Steve Page has been on the road conducting Accredited Inspector Program (AIP) training and inspecting hay.

Leaving his home base of Goondiwindi, with first stop Cowra and then Grenfell, Steve travelled down through Corowa, Echuca, Swan Hill, Bendigo and back up through Griffith and Forbes. This was one of Steve’s shortest and quick trips for a while, thanks for your on going hard work Steve.
 
Our AIP program is really starting to work well as it so much faster for growers, to list and The QA Process is even more thorough.

TEST UPDATE (By Kimberley Detmers)

January and February 2022 has seen a record volume of tests through our lab. We have had more grain samples than normal because of the wet harvest and growers wanting to optimise the value of their grain through a feed test. We have also seen volumes of silage, fresh pasture and lots of hay samples, especially lucerne hay. The volume of pasture testing is great to see as its an indication of people wanting to optimise their livestock performance during good seasons. The quality of lucerne has been above what we traditionally see with some great feed tests being recorded.

This week the highest feed test result we received was for a sample of fresh pasture. For fresh product we dry it down using large purpose build ovens so that all results are on a dry matter basis. This sample was received from a farm in Ellinbank Victoria with a protein of 30.63 and an M.E of 10.04. This result was confirmed using our wet chem partner Dairy One. 

Recently we welcomed our new Quality Assurance Assistant into the lab, Jasmine Dobney. Jasmine is studying agri-business externally at UQ and is loving learning about the ‘Measure it to Manage it’ mentally around all things Feed Testing.