GREAT Southern farmers could face an oaten hay seed shortage next year.
With a high percentage of oat crops being cut and baled to support stock throughout this year's dry summer, Narrogin-based Planfarm consultant Bill O'Neil said there would likely be a significant shortage of oat varieties in the Great Southern next year.
"It all depends on how well growers in the area manage their seed requirements throughout harvest," he said. "But of all the grains effected by this year's dry season it's the oats I'm most worried about.
"It's really light weight and I'm worried that even the grain that's there might get blown out the back of the header."
Mr O'Neil advised growers to monitor their oat seed crops this year and if concerned get on top of it straight away.
"Don't leave it too late to keep seed from your own paddocks," he said.
Mr O'Neil warned growers wouldn't have the option to be too picky.
"The yields just aren't there this year but there's an opportunity for growers to mix varieties," he said. "It's still important to use an increased seeding rate.
"At about 120kg/ha the taller varieties of oaten hay might need to be mixed with shorter feed varieties.
"For example, 80 per cent of a hay variety mixed with 20pc of a common feed variety like Wandering will still produce a relatively good hay crop."
According to UWA associate professor of animal biology John Milton, while it was natural to focus on baling oat crops to sustain stock, baling cereal stubbles after harvest also was an option.
Some Wheatbelt farmers had viewed their drought-affected crops as worthless but Mr Milton said stubbles left from harvest would have a much higher value than many growers realised.
He labelled the remaining straw as both rich in nutrients and marketable in this year's climate but advised that if growers were going to bale cereal stubble it would need to be done before any forecast rain arrived.
"Farmers didn't know it was going to be such a dry season so they still put their fertilisers down the chute and they didn't get leached because we didn't have the rain and we didn't get the grain yield, so the nutrients are locked in the stubbles," he said.
"They're limited in volume so we've got a very concentrated source of nutrients."
He said there would be several areas of demand this season.
"If you do get those straws, you've got a reasonable yield and you haven't got livestock and if other livestock owners aren't looking for that sort of feed, then there is the option of hay exporters looking for straw," he said.
"They're after good quality cereal straw to go into those north Asian markets."
Local markets would also benefit as a high number of farmers in and around the Great Southern were already using their straw this year.
Mr O'Neil agreed with Mr Milton and said baled stubble would provide an excellent substitute feed source over the summer.
"It's wonderful as another roughage source," he said.
"Coupled with a lick feeder it's a great option for stock and high protein levels are provided through grain rations in the feeder."
Both Mr Milton and Mr O'Neil recommended cutting high so stubbles would stay anchored in the ground to protect the paddock from erosion.
