NEWSLETTER - Australian Fodder Industry Association

Dairy Survey Reveals Hay Buying Behaviour
A recent comprehensive survey of dairy
farmers across the country revealed some
interesting facts regarding buying behaviour
of dairy farmers.
The survey conducted by Dairy Australia
asked the following questions:
Sources
With hay and silage which is fed to
your cows, do you grow your own, buy in
fodder from off farm, use both home grown
and bought in or other?
Where do you buy the majority of
your hay and silage from? Is it direct from
specialist hay growers, from other dairy
farmers, from a feed merchant or other?
When you purchase hay or silage, do
you mainly buy it as required, buy and store
in significant amounts on farm, forward
contract for later delivery or other?
all self
grown
50%
hay and silage source
not used
2%
both grown
and
purchased
41%
all
purchased
6%
Answers
• Approximately half the respondents
(51%) who feed hay and silage grow it
themselves, the others purchase from several
sources, but mainly from specialist growers.
• In WA, a high 67% grow their own
hay or silage and 19% purchase from
specialist hay growers. In contrast, 34% of
Bega respondents grow their own and 48%
purchase from specialist hay growers.
• In an interesting result, 58% of
respondents with extra-large herds grow
their own hay or silage, a significant 14
points higher than those with large herds
(44%), but similar to those with small (51%)
and medium herds (54%).
Implications
On most dairy farms, cows are fed at least
some hay and/or silage which is grown on
farm.
These results highlight the importance of
ensuring dairy farmers have considerable
knowledge of how to maximise the feed
value of both hay and silage.
It is notable that respondents with herds of
between 301 and 500 cows (the segment
most likely to increase production) are the
least likely to grow their own hay and silage.
Purchase behaviour
When you purchase grain or pellets,
do you mainly buy it as required, buy and
store in significant amounts on farm,
forward contract for later delivery, use
grains futures markets?
When you purchase hay or silage, do
you mainly buy it as required, buy and
store in significant amounts on farm,
forward contract for later delivery or other?
Answers
• Forty seven percent (47%) of
respondents mainly purchase
hay/silage as required, while 46%
typically buy significant amounts and
store it on farm.
• Respondents from Tasmania (63%),
nth Vic/Riverina, central/Murraylands
SA (53%) and south/central NSW
(51%) are the most likely to buy
significant amounts of hay or silage
and store it on farm.
• Purchasing hay or silage by forward
contract is significantly more common
among respondents with x-large (19%)
or large herds (16%) compared to
small (6%) or medium herds (8%).
AFIA Newsletter September 18