Hay or Grain?

In some areas of the State ongoing dry conditions won’t be the only threat to grain production. The likely occurrence of damaging spring frosts significantly increases the more the soil profile dries out.

Parts of the Mallee and Upper South East see frost damage every year and farmers have learned to manage their most frost prone areas accordingly. However in very dry times as soils dry out and temperature extremes occur, frost damage can be more widespread and affect areas usually untouched.

Without being too negative about the season, it is still important to plan for the possibility that crops may be frosted. In this situation hay cutting may be a serious option as good hay prices and high demand are a likely to continue well into next season.

Crops will ripen quickly after a frost and will need to be cut soon after to ensure quality; therefore it’s important to identify the problem early.

Assessing frost damage
If frosts have been forecast in your district, inspect crops for damage between ear emergence and late grain fill stages. Close inspection will be necessary as some symptoms are similar to moisture and nutrient stress, and disease damage. The GRDC Back Pocket Guide for Frost Identification in Cereals can help with this. http://www.agric.wa.gov.au

Wheat crops are more susceptible than barley and oats, however damage is easier to find in barley.

To determine if damage has occurred it will be important to inspect a crop soon after a frost event, noting the stage of development. Make sure heads are closely inspected. After a week or more another inspection will reveal if development has stopped all together and how severe the damage may be.

Cutting frosted cereals
As a rough guide work on the final dry matter yield of the hay being double that of the grain you would get with an average finish. This will give you something to work on with gross margin estimates.

Nevertheless, the decision to cut crops for hay is not an easy one to make, especially when frost damage is variable across paddocks and difficult to estimate until the grain is reaped.

If your district had a good opening to the season it is likely that hay production will exceed grain production in a dry finish. Excellent returns for domestic hay will help to maximise on this.

AUTHOR: Tanja Mrogan, Farming Systems Consultant, Rural Solutions SA

CONTACT: Tanja Morgan, Rural Solutions SA Murray Bridge Office, Telephone 8535 6406