THIS year’s hay season is shaping up to be one of the best on record, according to Mallee farmer Gordon Trigg.
The fourth-generation farmer, based on the outskirts of Ouyen, is in the midst of cutting 1200 hectares of vetch, which will be baled for hay in the coming weeks.
Mr Trigg has been farming in the district for more than five decades.
His great-great grandfather settled in the region in 1906.
Having experienced good and bad years, droughts, mice plagues and bumper seasons, Mr Trigg concedes this year’s hay crop is picture perfect.
“The vetch is magnificent, it’s going to be one of the best on record,” Mr Trigg said.
“It’s the biggest vetch crop I’ve seen – some of it is one metre high and it’s thick.”
He attributes the bumper season to his rotations, while optimal rainfall at the right time has also helped.
“We’re getting very good fertiliser with our rotations,” Mr Trigg said.
He said vetch not only added value to his farm as a cash crop but also provided valuable nitrogen to the paddock.
For this reason, there has been a surge of hay production within the Mallee in recent years.
“More and more people are cutting hay,” Mr Trigg said.
“Last year was huge for hay but it wasn’t the year for it.”
In other trends, Mr Trigg said many Mallee farmers were turning to lentils this year as part of their paddock rotations.
“We tried lentils around five years ago, but it’s too difficult to grow in the Mallee.”
Mr Trigg said the weather would be pivotal in determining the outcome of this year’s harvest and at this time of year it was a balancing act.
“I’m a little bit concerned about the predicted rainfall,” he said.
“While we need it for our cereals, we don’t want big rain. We’ve still got a little bit more room for absorption. If we got around 10mm, I’d be happy.”
With harvest fast approaching, Mr Trigg said the outlook for both this year’s hay season and harvest was promising.
“It’s exciting and will potentially be a great year,” Mr Trigg said.
“Hopefully we can get it over the line but things can go wrong pretty quickly, especially when it comes to vetch.
As for the region’s cereal crops, things are also on track for a great year.
“The cereal crops are also magnificent, the best I’ve seen in a long, long time,” Mr Trigg said.
“It’s like this across the board – everyone’s crops are looking very good, it’s good for the district.”
