Hay Matters

In this episode of Hay Matters, Feed Standards Australia Grower Services Manager Steve Page is joined by Nev Janke from Feed Central Trading for a look at seasonal conditions, hay production and the challenges that can affect quality.

Following his recent travels through New South Wales and Victoria, Steve shares what he saw in the paddock—from dry conditions and patchy crops in the north to strong yields and wet-weather delays further south.

Steve and Nev also discuss:

• How delayed cutting can affect crop maturity and feed quality.
• Why feed tests and quality certificates are valuable in a season with potentially large hay volumes.
• Chemical records, withholding periods and the importance of accurate Commodity Vendor Declarations.
• How the Seed to Feed program and Weed Safe can give buyers more information about qualifying hay lots.
• Listing hay on Local Ag Marketplace before a quality certificate is completed.
• Managing the risk of mice when grain is present in stored hay.

Hay Matters is brought to you by Feed Standards Australia, with partners Local Ag Marketplace and Feed Central Trading.

Join Steve Page in the paddock at Toowoomba Hay Farm for a practical look at round balers and the machinery decisions that influence hay quality and efficiency.

Steve is riding along with Ben Andrews from RDO and Brendan Disson from Kuhn, during a barley hay baling demonstration. Steve explores John Deere and Kuhn round balers, discussing automation, bale density, net-wrap access and choosing equipment to suit different operations.

The conversation also looks beyond the baler, covering mower-conditioner blade wear, roller maintenance and how windrow width affects crop flow and bale formation.

Whether you make your own hay or work with a contractor, this episode offers useful insights into getting more from your haymaking equipment.

In this episode:

• John Deere and Kuhn round balers in action.
• How automation can reduce operator workload.
• What mower blade wear can reveal about operating speed.
• Matching windrows to the baler for more consistent feeding.
• The importance of mower-conditioner setup and maintenance.

Hay Matters is presented by Feed Standards Australia, with partners LocalAg Marketplace and Feed Central Trading.

What goes into making award-winning lucerne hay?

In the latest episode of Hay Matters, Steve Page joins Wade Alexander on farm to discuss the decisions behind his National Lucerne Feed Test Award win.

Wade shares his approach to establishing and renewing lucerne stands, incorporating barley and oats, and adapting mowing and raking to the weather. They also discuss beneficial insects, and why feed quality involves more than protein alone.

It’s an honest, practical conversation about learning through experience, trying different approaches and managing the pressure of rising input costs.

In this episode of the Feed Standards Australia podcast, Steve Page catches up with returning guest Josh Lanyon from Boort in the southern mallee region of Victoria, to discuss an unexpectedly wet growing season and the challenges of turning high-yielding crops into quality hay.

After beginning the year with drought conditions forecast, Josh’s district has experienced ongoing rain, saturated paddocks and waterlogged crops. He shares how the conditions have affected his vetch and oats, the yields he is anticipating and the difficult decisions that may need to be made when cutting begins.

Steve and Josh also discuss managing lodged crops, mower conditioning and raking strategies, along with the importance of cutting high-biomass crops at the right stage before feed quality begins to decline.

In this episode:

• The effect of waterlogging on vetch and oat crops
• Expected cutting times and potential hay yields
• Managing wet and inaccessible areas within paddocks
• Frost risk and decisions around hay versus grain
• Preparing machinery for tall, heavy or lodged crops
• Conditioning and raking strategies in wet conditions
• The challenge of curing vetch over saturated ground
• Protecting hay quality when weather windows are limited
• Storage, marketing and the outlook for the coming hay season

Josh’s key message is to cut on time and plan ahead. With large crops, delayed cutting can quickly reduce feed quality, while lodged crops and wet ground require careful thought about how mowing and raking equipment will be used.

In this episode of the Hay Matters Podcast, Steve Page catches up with Anthony Exton in the Coolamon region to talk hay production, mixed farming, crop rotations and how diversification helps spread risk across the season.

From vetch and oats through to straw, trucks and marketing hay through LocalAg, Anthony shares practical insights from the paddock and the decisions shaping the season ahead.

In this episode:

• Why Anthony grows vetch and oats together
• Keeping grain and hay options open depending on the season
• Managing curing times, paddock selection and hay quality
• Seasonal conditions and sowing progress in southern NSW
• Reflections on last season’s hay yields and quality
• Marketing hay through LocalAg

Key takeaway

Building flexibility into a farming business through multiple income streams, marketing options and diversified production systems can help manage seasonal pressure and changing market conditions.

Listen to the episode now.

In this episode of Hay Matters, Hugh Ford takes us on the road with the Griffin Lanyon Legacy Tour, bringing together young farmers from across Australia to explore the future of the industry.

From farm visits and large-scale operations to real conversations on the bus, this episode captures what’s actually shaping the thinking of young producers right now.

In this episode:

• Why the Griffin Lanyon Legacy Tour was created and what it represents
• What young farmers are seeing across different regions and systems
• The importance of networking in a connected but spread-out industry
• Insights from visits to operations like John Deere and Midfield Meats
• How different businesses approach hay, grain, livestock and contracting
• What exposure to large-scale operations changes in your thinking
• Where young producers see opportunity in agriculture
• The role of innovation, technology and adaptability moving forward

Key takeaway: The future of agriculture isn’t coming, it’s already here. Young farmers are building networks, embracing innovation and thinking beyond their own farm gate to shape what comes next.

Freight is up. Fuel is tight. And supply is shifting further south.

In this episode of Hay Matters, Steve Page sits down with David Clothier to unpack what’s really happening on the ground as we head into April.

From recent travel across South Australia and Victoria to conversations with growers and buyers, this episode covers the key forces shaping decision-making right now.

In this episode:

• How recent rain events have disrupted movement and demand
  • Why freight is becoming the biggest factor in pricing decisions
  • Where supply is sitting and how far it needs to travel
  • The growing role of forward contracts in managing risk
  • What’s happening with lucerne, cereal hay and protein opportunities
  • Why vetch is gaining attention heading into the next season
  • Feedlot demand and what it means for northern buyers
  • The outlook heading into winter and beyond

Key takeaway: The fundamentals are strong, but distance, cost and timing are everything. Positioning yourself early could make all the difference this season.

Show Notes

In this episode of the Hay Matters Podcast, part of our Next Generation series, we sit down with Ella Lanyon, a broadacre grower from Victoria’s Wimmera region, to talk about farming, industry connections and the inspiration behind the Griffin Lanyon Legacy Tour.

Ella shares the story behind the tour, created in memory of her younger brother Griffin, and how it brought together young people from across Australia to explore different farming systems, businesses and opportunities within agriculture.

Alongside the tour, Ella also talks about her own farming operation near Birchip, where she manages a broadacre cropping business with her father while completing a Masters in Agriculture. From crop rotations and hay production to machinery investment and planting strategies, the discussion offers a practical look at decision-making on farm.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• The idea behind the Griffin Lanyon Legacy Tour and how it honours Griffin’s passion for agriculture and community
• Why getting young farmers off farm to see other systems and operations is so valuable • The importance of networking and learning from others across the industry
• Visiting farms, feedlots, machinery operations and processing facilities across Victoria and South Australia
• Ella’s broadacre cropping operation near Birchip
• A three-way rotation of legumes, barley and oaten hay
• Increasing lentil production and how it compares to vetch
• Balancing grain and hay production depending on seasonal conditions
• Opportunistically cutting cereals for hay when moisture becomes limiting
• Planning for the season ahead, including planting windows and weed control
• Investing in machinery to improve efficiency and expand capacity

Ella’s story highlights both the opportunities and pressures facing the next generation of farmers, from managing family businesses to making strategic decisions about crops, inputs and investment.

One key takeaway?

Young farmers benefit enormously from stepping outside their own operations. Seeing different systems, sharing experiences and building industry connections can bring new ideas, perspective and confidence back to the farm.

Next Generation is a special mini-series within Hay Matters — spotlighting the voices building agriculture’s future.

In this episode Steve Page catches up with graduate agronomist Georgia Boddington from ExceedAg to discuss hay production and cropping systems across the Wimmera Mallee.

Georgia shares her journey from growing up on a sheep and hay contracting operation near Narracoorte to becoming an agronomist based in Swan Hill. With strong early exposure to hay production, she now works closely with growers across the region advising on rotations, crop management and seasonal decisions.

The conversation explores how hay fits into mixed cropping systems in a low rainfall environment, with growers often planning paddocks that can go either to grain or hay depending on how the season unfolds. Georgia also talks about the importance of hay in managing resistant ryegrass, improving rotations and maintaining strong gross margins.

Steve and Georgia discuss the realities of the past season, including dry starts, staggered germination and the challenges of managing crops across variable Mallee soil types. They also cover current paddock preparation, moisture conservation and how growers are positioning themselves ahead of the coming season.

Georgia also reflects on her first year conducting hay inspections with Feed Central, explaining how the role complements her agronomy work and gives her the opportunity to see crops all the way through to the finished hay product.

In this episode:

• Georgia’s pathway into agronomy and hay production
• Cropping systems and rotations in the Wimmera Mallee
• Why growers include hay paddocks in their rotations
• Managing resistant ryegrass through hay production
• Planning paddocks that can switch between grain and hay
• Seasonal challenges and lessons from last year
• Current paddock preparation and moisture conservation
• Georgia’s experience as a Feed Central hay inspector

If you work in cropping, hay production or agronomy, this episode offers practical insights into how hay fits into modern rotations in one of Australia’s key grain growing regions.

Guest: Michele Jolliffe, Agriculture Victoria Host: Steve Page Duration: 41:20

Episode Overview

After dry seasons and increased on-farm hay storage, the risk of haystack fires is higher than ever. In this episode of Hay Matters, Steve Page sits down with Michele Jolliffe, Dairy Extension Officer at Agriculture Victoria, to explore the science behind hay fires and spontaneous combustion. Michele shares practical advice for growers, contractors, and producers to safeguard their feed, property, and infrastructure.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• The causes of spontaneous combustion in hay
• How moisture levels influence fire risk
• Why large square bales require extra care
• Early warning signs of heating hay
• Safe temperature thresholds and monitoring techniques
• Best practices for stacking, ventilation, and storage
• When to call for emergency help
• The role of preservatives and modern monitoring technology

Key Takeaway

“Check the moisture and temperature of your hay before and after baling - proper stacking, ventilation, and monitoring are essential to prevent spontaneous combustion and protect your feed investment.”

Links & Resources

• Feed Central website
• LocalAg Marketplace
• CFA Guidelines for Heating Hay
• Agriculture Victoria: The Science Behind Hay Fires