TASMANIA’S fodder harvest season is about to get underway and there are concerns dry weather conditions may limit yields this year.
While conditions in the state’s northern regions are currently favourable, contractors say that without follow up rainfall, pasture growth rates will be impacted.
In the South, pasture growth is already suffering after very dry winter conditions and yields are expected to be well below average.
Agricultural Contractors of Tasmania president Peter Campbell said it could be a challenging season if rain does not fall at the right time.
He said harvest is yet to get underway in his area near Railton. “We don’t usually start for a little while yet and it’s a bit early to tell, but we’re looking for a bit of rain,” he said.
“It could all turn around, but the way it’s looking at the moment I don’t think it’s going to be a bumper season.”
Mr Campbell said with farmers in the South already feeding stock in some cases, supplies of fodder could be tight.
“I don’t know where they’re going to be able to pull fodder from,” he said.
“A lot of it goes west from this area, but some of it might be going south yet, you wouldn’t know.
“There’s always demand in the off season and it’s going up and down the highway, but it’s whether there will be enough there to go up and down, that might be the thing.”
Mr Campbell said most of the paddocks they harvest generally have good pasture volume because they have been locked up during winter.
However, he said follow up rainfall would be needed in the next few weeks to ensure reasonable yields.
“If we don’t get some good rains the grass will just run to head and there won’t be any bulk in the bottom of the pastures, so volumes will be down,” he said.
Contractors and farmers will also be facing a significant increase in diesel prices.
Mr Campbell said in the organisation’s new pocketbook, which will be released in the next couple of weeks, they have recommended an increase in contracting rates of 7 per cent to help cover increasing costs.
“Fuel is $2.30 a litre at the moment and even though we get the rebate it’s still costing close to $2,” he said.
“I think last year was $1.50 to $1.60 so it’s a 40-50 cent a litre increase just in fuel alone.”
Mr Campbell said after a significant fall in livestock prices, some farmers may choose not to harvest as much silage this year due to the cost.
“We’ll just have to wait and see,” he said.
“An inch of rain at the right time can make a big difference.”
Smithton-based contractor Marcus Laing said he would normally start harvesting silage in the next couple of weeks, but the season was likely to get off to a late start.
“It’s not that good at the moment,” he said.
“The flat country is still too wet and it’s only just starting to move a bit now. The high country has got away a bit, but it’s not fantastic, you wouldn’t say it’s bolting so it’s still a little way off. That’s the sort of game where if we get a fortnight of dry weather, it could all just run to head.”
Last season Mr Laing harvested about 15,000 bales of silage which he said was about average, despite extremely wet spring conditions.
Mr Laing said there are not huge amounts of surplus fodder left over in his area, so farmers will be hoping for good yields.