Agriculture
26 October, 2025
Hope hopes: Hay's head start, wheat wait for drink
HOPES are buoyant for good season crop yields across the Loddon.
Farmers have started windrowing and baling vetch and lucerne.
Serpentine’s Joe Stuart wrapped up baling at the weekend and said the quality was again good.
Limited carry-over and patchy early production are helping to hold prices with vetch hay from one Pyramid Hill farmer selling for $410 a tonne, Dairy Australia reported last week.
Hay Australia at Bridgewater says: “After months of planning, paddock preparation, and hard work by our growers and our team, we’re set to deliver another year of high-quality hay for our valued domestic and export customers around the world.”
Mr Stuart expects good yield from his barley crop but is holding out hope for rain to “get the wheat crop over the line. It needs a good drink”.
Boort Grain Co-op manager Jon Bucknall backed up Mr Stuart’s assessment for barley yields across the Loddon.
“We are going to be in for another decent year,” Mr Bucknall said.
He said rains around Anzac Day and good in-season falls in part of the region had helped
crops “and barley will yield pretty well”.
“The north central area is still in a purple patch,” he said.
“The general feeling is that any rain would freshen up crops and add a little to yield but only to consolidate where those crops are at.”
He said some canola yields might disappoint farmers with indications “pods were not developing despite good flowering”.
Mr Bucknall expects receivals at Boort to start within the fortnight.
Receivals have started in the northern Mallee. Mr Bucknall said the first load of lentils arrived on Tuesday at the Nandaly silos he also manages while Graincor’s first harvest update this week said the region had delivered Victoria’s first barley receivals. However, limited rainfall in recent weeks continues to create a mixed picture, Graincor said.
Grain prices could rise during harvest, Mr Bucknall said, with many buyers coming out of winter with empty cupboards.
“There has not been a lot of forward selling, stocks are low at best, so this could see an uptick in prices as the harvest progresses,” he said.
Read More: Serpentine