Bega Valley

More rain for Bega last week which has been an excellent autumn in the region prompting good germinations and establishment for ryegrass crops that were sown earlier.
As a consequence of this rain the demand for hay over the autumn and winter would be expected to be minimal, maybe some small volumes of cereal hay for springers.
Silage feeding has slowed now and dairy farmers can conserve their already generous stocks of fodder they conserved back in spring last year
Compared to the recent five year period it is expected that very little hay will be traded into this region
While demand for hay is low in the Valley, prices for inland hay are higher on the back of demand from beef and horse operators
2011 has been a great year for the Bega region and has given local dairy farmers an opportunity to catch up with their levels of conserved fodder
Some high quality silage has been made from ryegrass crops. Warmer soil temperatures have fostered good growth from Kikuyu pastures.
The Bega Valley has had an above average rainfall in the 8^th and 9^th decile range over the last 12 months. This has led to increased access to irrigation, more on farm conserved fodder and little to no reliance on imported fodder from other districts in NSW and Victoria.
Annual rainfall last year was 125% of the long term average and this region is in a more positive state compared to two years ago.
The Bega market has been a big purchaser of hay in previous years, however Bega will not be a major consumer of hay.