WITH HAY making up 50 per cent of the Jaeschke family's cropping program at their Clare-based business Hill River Hay, they are hopeful this year will be good for their business.
The industry suffered under inclement weather last year, but the family is happy to see positive signs of growth already.
The Jaeschkes, Robert and Lyn, their sons Craig and Grant and their partners Nicole and Megan, run a value-adding cropping enterprise which includes hay for both the export and domestic markets and a pellet processing plant.
The pellet mill produces feed for cattle, sheep, broiler chickens and horses. The family also runs a chicken meat enterprise and sheep on their non-arable country.
"Coming off quite a high carryover year, we were relatively nervous coming into this hay season," Craig said.
"But there's not a lot of hay in the west or in the east, so we're relatively well-placed here in South Australia.
"There'll be hay going into Queensland after the rains and exports seem to be strengthening.
"A lot of stubbles don't have the same feed values they would have had before the rains, so people could be looking at supplementary feed, particularly with stock worth a reasonable amount at the moment."
The Jaeschkes, who have set aside 1200 hectares for hay production each year, also buy hay from other producers.
The family produces oaten, wheaten and lucerne hay and crops wheat, barley and canola.
"Hay is a major part of the business," Craig said.
"We have equipment that helps the hay dry in the quickest possible time and good shedding facilities to be able to market over a 12-month period or longer if need be.
"We focus more on the export market and produce high quality hay, but if we fall out on parameters for the export market we still have the domestic market option."
Craig says the past year was challenging for hay producers market-wise but the grain harvest was the best since 2001 with yields, quality and price coming together.
"Everyone found hay production the hardest. While yields were good, the challenge was to get the hay baled before the rains. The windows to cut and bale hay were only six to eight days."
Craig says the use of super conditioners is crucial to getting a decent amount of hay in without weather damage.
"Luckily, we ended up with 70 per cent of our hay under cover, without rain damage," he said.
Craig follows a simple rotation of canola and wheat followed by hay or canola, wheat and barley and then hay. He said the choice depended on the level of ryegrass in a paddock.
"We find this rotation gives us good weed control and flexibility with our program," he said.
* Full Cropping report in Stock Journal, January 13 issue.
