When it comes to epic road trips, with equally impressive rewards, The Amazing Race, Gulliver’s Travels, even The Lord of the Rings don’t come close to the adventure that is Bowral Co-op’s annual hay run.
And while sure, it doesn’t include obstacles and competitions, dragons and trolls, giants or overgrown wasps; what it does include is some great Aussie terrain, and even more importantly, some of the country’s most top-quality hay, produced by our very own farmers…
And really, what’s more interesting than truckloads of premium hay?
Every year between January and March, part of our team at the Co-op sets off on a series of road trips to visit our hay suppliers. With carefully selected producers across two states, we have identified the best hay from properties in Forbes, Cowra, Leeton and Victoria, and we undertake these visits to ensure the quality of the product, and to lock the supply away for the winter months.
In January, Mark, Will, Jon and Jemma set off from the Co-op, headed for Cowra in the central west of NSW, to catch up with Ian, one of our trusted hay suppliers.
A solid season
After taking a look around Ian’s place and seeing what he and the family are up to, he gave us the latest on our hay supply.
“Ian told us the season has started off really well. The first six weeks have been fantastic, with high-quality Oaten, Rye and Lucerne hay made,” Jon reported.
“From the beginning of December, the climatic conditions changed with very wet and unsettled weather, which then made hay-making much more challenging. Turns out, ‘make hay while the sun shines’ is a saying for a reason!”
“The change in conditions is why there is a current short supply of Teff and Rhodes hay. Those two varieties are cut later in the season – around six-to-eight weeks after Lucerne and Cereal hay – which unfortunately fell at about the same time as the weather changed.”
“All is looking up though, with some improved conditions more recently, meaning those varieties of hay are now well on their way!”
A sneak peek at our hay
This photo above shows our very own Jemma, Mark and Jon, accompanied by farmer, Ian, in a paddock of Rhodes grass ready to be cut and baled.
Here above, we have paddocks of Teff hay ready to be cut and baled. The last three weeks of January saw improved conditions for hay making, which should enable a more consistent supply of Lucerne, Teff and Rhodes hay.
Next up in our 2024 hay run is a trip to Leeton, stay tuned!
