The Farm Tender Hay Report – Darling Downs officially dry again

By: "Farm Tender" News
Water & Irrigation News
May 19, 2020
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Darling Downs officially dry again.

For the fortnight up to the 20th of May, 2020.

Alot of the talk this week has been centred around the decisions that China are making. Another talking point was how dry the Darling Downs has got. Mike Pickard reports below that they need 40-60mm of rain to finish off Crop planting.

This is disappointing for the Farmers in this area as the season got away to a pretty good start in many spots. Many people bought in Cattle after the early rains. So whether the drying effect has much of an impact on demand for Hay is debatable, we will have to wait and see. But one thing is for sure if they do need Hay they won't have to travel as far and wide to get it, with a lot more local (Central Queensland) Hay being made.

The Monaro area of New South Wales is another spot that is struggling with the dry, and it's one of the first places to get cold, so any recovery is not going to happen until Spring. Most parts of Western Australia is also quite dry.

It's interesting that we are still moving plenty of Hay Equipment, including Large Square Balers which are selling consistently. There is also more interest than ever in Rotary Rakes. Investing in new Hay Sheds is another trend, with Shed builders saying they are booked up for months.

What's happened to Hay prices over the last fortnight?

Cereal Hay made from $210/mt to $220/mt

Vetch Hay sold to $305/mt

Most Straw sold for around $80/mt

We go around the grounds to see what our Farm Tender Sales people have to say:

Paul Grayling - Mallee Vic based

Paul said - We are slowly seeing the level of interest in Hay sneak up. Mainly production Hay, but there is also the odd enquiry on Straw and Cereal Hay, With the Cold weather setting in, people are starting to gear up for Winter and look to lock in there supply. There are some options out there, but the supply of top quality stuff won't last forever.

Shane Ruyg - Queensland based

Shane said - Hay and Straw is still relatively slow with only a few sales over the past fortnight with the weather still in the Autumn phase. More rain is forecast over the next few days, and a cold snap looks likely. This may trigger more demand for those that are looking to move their Hay and Straw on.

Jackie Elliott - South West Vic based

Jackie said - This week I have seen interest in roughage requirements for cattle heading onto Cereal Crops in Southern NSW. The cooler weather in Victoria is prompting producers to purchase quality type fibre for sheep to hold them off paddocks until closer to lambing.

Mike Pickard - Darling Downs based

Mike said - There was only minimal inquiry for Hay this week, with a couple of spot loads of Vetch and a little bit of inquiry for Lucerne Hay. The season has gone pear-shaped across the Darling Downs in Queensland where most of the area needs between 40 and 60 mm to finish off the Crop Planting. I'm hearing late-season Forage Sorghum Crops have been baled. There is some inquiry from Western and North Western Queensland looking for Hay just to get them through the winter months as the late summer rain produced herbage but not enough to get grass growing for the winter. Most of the Hay is being sourced currently out of central Queensland, the Rockhampton, Emerald and Claremont areas.

Catch you in a fortnight

Dwain Duxson - Farm Tender & DelayPay

For more information on selling or buying Hay contact the following:

Paul Grayling – 0447 069 082 or paulg@farmtender.com.au

Shane Ruyg – 0447 922 604 or shaner@farmtender.com.au

Mike Pickard – 0429 677 636 or mikep@farmtender.com.au

Jackie Elliott - 0400 808 550 or jackiee@farmtender.com.au

Or 1300 Farming (1300 327 646)

Need to buy something? Try DelayPay

Get payment terms for buyers and payment security for sellers - www.delaypay.com.au. If you are keen to know more ring Dwain 0427 011 900 or Kelsey 0409 117 730