Media Release
Making More Hay In The Sunshine State
Local fodder producers and those looking to diversify into fodder have a free opportunity to hear how best to maximise profits from the booming domestic and export hay market.
Australian Fodder Industry Association (AFIA) executive officer Darren Keating will be in Toowoomba on 26 March 2013 as a guest of Feed Central, a national hay marketing company based in Toowoomba.
Mr Keating will provide insight into the fodder industry’s growth areas, and the increasing demand for quality fodder in Korea, Japan and China. He will detail the process of getting hay from Southern Queensland farms to international end-users.
Tim Ford, Managing Director of Feed Central, has just returned from a marketing trip to South Korea, to visit buyers and inspect product recently supplied by Feed Central.
“Locally and globally the demand for hay continues to rise and Queensland growers stand to benefit. To take advantage of this opportunity we need growers to increase plantings of lucerne and oaten hay now,” Mr Ford said.
“The opportunities available in our export markets mean that, in many parts of Australia, hay production is a normal part of broad acre cropping programs. It produces gross margins similar to or better than traditional farming practices,” Mr Ford said.
“Hay is no longer an opportunistic enterprise, Feed Central is already exporting hay. With solid planning and support from local growers we can put in place a strong supply chain to make this industry a success for Southern Queensland.”
Mr Ford said that hay is a sustainable, profitable crop that can fit into Southern Queensland and Northern New South Wales crop rotations as it removes the weed seed bank, is not affected by frost, does not require finishing rain and expedites double cropping opportunities.
Feed Central’s specialist hay agronomists will be on hand at the information session to provide advice about what to plant, when to plant, how to store and best-practice fodder production. There are specialist practices required to ensure success, so growers are urged attend the information session or talk to Feed Central before planting for this market.
The information session will be held at from 9am to 12 noon on 26 March 2013 at the Toowoomba Turf Club, Hursley Road Toowoomba. Refreshments will be provided.
For more information contact Feed Central on 1300 669 429.