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Summary
Driving Prices Up
- Even with the very recent rainfall WA continues to be dry and unseasonably warm which is continuing to put pressure on available fodder supplies. While many livestock and dairy enterprises keep a good supply of conserved fodder on farm against adverse conditions this is being depleted and there are producers who are looking to keep their on-farm supplies at a reasonable level.
- The southern states remain quite dry even with some earlier rain and are looking for good parcels of varied fodder types to keep up herd health, this is seeing fodder moving from north to south to meet needs which is incurring additional freight costs.
- More farmers are looking to secure winter feed supplies and are contracting their requirements, this is providing a floor value for some producers on in-demand fodder lines.
- Exporters remain a player in the marketplace continuing to provide a baseline price for a wide range of cereal fodder supplies.
Driving Prices Down
- Sowing of winter fodder as well as hay and silage production crops is continuing through the northern and into the southern states in mostly good conditions, especially Southern Queensland, and almost all of NSW. Dry sowing of crops is ongoing in the south, in preparation for rains which should spark good growth.
- Some late summer crops are still being made into hay and silage in parts of Victoria which continues to add to available supply.
- Varied quality of fodder is still available on the market. Growers with lower grade hay, particularly hay stacked unprotected outside are expected to actively trade this in the coming months.
Local News
- Tasmanian dairy and livestock producers are looking to source supplies from the mainland as the local supply is unable to meet the earlier than usual need due to the dry conditions in the central and southern parts of the state. This endeavour is constrained by the high biosecurity requirement for shipping supplies into Tasmania.
- The suggestion of a ban on export hay out of WA in light of the continuing dry conditions is not being met favourably by dedicated hay producers who have invested in the export market. Comments from the WA Government indicate this suggestion does not have a high likelihood of being implemented.
- The Bureau has stated that El Niño has ended and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has returned to neutral. Climate models indicate ENSO will likely continue to be neutral until at least July 2024.
- Buyers are encouraged to feed test and view fodder before purchase to be sure of the quality of feed.