Farmers from around Victoria and interstate as set to converge on Elmore on Tuesday, August 15 for the start of a three-day showcase on the hay and silage industry.
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Fodderganza will kick off with the annual Fodder Festival, at the Elmore Field Days site, before moving to Bendigo for the two-day Australian Fodder Industry Association national conference.
At Elmore, AFIA chief executive Paula Fitzgerald, said all the major machinery providers would put their latest machines to the test in the paddock, harvesting annual ryegrass.
She said senior representatives of dealers would be on hand to answer any questions farmers might have about the machines.
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"We've got the people who brought these machines into the country and are putting them in the paddock," she said.
The two-day conference, in Bendigo, would cover the very broad theme of "futureproofing fodder". That would cover such topics as a low-carbon future for the sector and an update on the national hay agronomy program, she said.
Ahead of the festival, Feed Central hosted national and international experts in Bendigo on Monday, August 14 for the Journey into the World of Hay.
Held at the All Seasons Hotel, the event featured US founder of Hay Kings, Jon Paul Driver, speaking on the hay market at a US and global level.
Balco Australia CEO Rob Lawson focused on the Australian export market and Feed Central National Sales Manager Dave Clothier on opportunities in the domestic market.
Feed Central managing director Tim Ford said farmers were looking for a clearer picture about the hay market.
"We wanted an event to give producers information about how to optimise their experience with hay and what market opportunities there are," Mr Ford said.
"Grain and cotton industries have high profiles but hay seems to be somewhat neglected; however, there are a lot of opportunities in the hay sector and people want to know more.
"Because of a lack of understanding about the domestic and export markets, farmers could be rotating out of hay unnecessarily when there is demand there."
Mr Driver is founder of Hay Kings, has a Facebook group with 81,000 followers, is a farm and ranch management specialist for Washington State University and hosts a popular US podcast about hay.
"We think it's timely to look at the bigger picture of what's happening with hay around the world and what opportunities there are for Australian growers to have hay as part of their rotations," Mr Ford said.
There is big demand for vetch at the moment and key members of the Feed Central team outlined other opportunities for growers.
The 2023 Fodder Festival starts at the Elmore Field Days site on Tuesday August, 15. The conference will run, in Bendigo, at the All Seasons Hotel on Wednesday, August 16 and Thursday, August 17.
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