Katrina BRANDON
HAULING support to farmers in truckloads, many transport companies have been sourcing hay supply for local farmers across the country.
Having recently dropped a load at Newry, Frank Morgan Transport is one of many companies giving back to their customers, who, as a result of recent weather events, are experiencing food shortages on their farms.
Frank Morgan, owner of Frank Morgan Transport, told Gippsland Farmer that they usually get hay from the same state, but recently have had to venture outwards.
“Generally, we get some hay from the Western District, maybe around the Horsham area or Swan Hill, those sort of places, they generally have the type of hay with the best quality that these guys prefer,” he said.
“We’ve got a very small, small but loyal group of farmers that uses our services, and they’re very great families and are generational farmers. We’re happy to supply those sort of people, really genuine farmers through and through, if you know what I mean.
“We’ve got a few dairy farmers that we supply with hay and grain, and one of them wanted us to sort out some open hay and couldn’t find any in Victoria due to the shortage of hay this year and the drought and the bad seasons. So by chance, one of our trucks did a load to Western Australia, and we were able to go through another hay supplier.”
Frank Morgan Transport started in 2000 and was predominantly livestock for four to five years before moving onto hay.
Bringing in hay from all corners of Australia, driver Brendan has been making the rounds, with the recent load coming from way out west.
“It was an eight-day round trip, 7800 kms, which included a 24-hour rest in Perth to comply with fatigue regulations,” Brendan said.
Grateful for the delivery, fourth-generation Newry farmer Nathan Berryman said this season has not only been hard for himself, but for many farmers across the state. He is glad for the help he has received from Mr Morgan.
“We don’t usually buy stuff from that far away,” Mr Berryman said.
“I’ve talked to probably four different trucking companies trying to find anything. My main one’s Frank Morgan, and he kept trying for me, and we actually ended up getting some straw from Queensland, probably a couple of weeks before Frank found this one.
“We’re definitely relieved … definitely relieved that I’ve got something in the shed. I was, for a while there, getting a bit nancy, thinking, ‘God, what are we going to feed?’ And so we bought the straw originally, so it’s got basically no end.”
The delivery of the hay has now relieved some of the stress from the calving season, allowing Mr Berryman to keep his cows and calves in the best health, while also staying warm and full.
Alongside the feed search, Mr Berryman said that even when they have found stock, there is still the issue of buying it before it gets sold out under them. He also said that despite the dry season, he was generally lucky with the soil on his farm.
“We’re very lucky where we are,” he told Gippsland Farmer.
“I talked to a lot of other farmers, and they’re in the exact same boat, but a lot of other farmers can’t afford to get it from WA. They couldn’t afford to pay that extra bit to get it.”
