Paddock to Plate
Australian hay is grown by farmers to fulfil a wide variety of purposes for a range of markets, such as feed for dairy and beef cattle, as well as goats, horses, and sheep. Oaten Hay, Wheaten Hay and Barley Hay are a prime source of digestible fibre and can be fed alone or as part of a mixed ration feed. All hay produced by Balco Australia can be traced from the farmer to the end user. Traceability is crucial for ensuring food safety and compliance with international regulations. By accurately tracing the origin of Oaten Hay, Balco supports the protection of animal health and the transparency of all quality and grading of Oaten Hay.
Paddock to Plate
Australian hay is grown by farmers to fulfil a wide variety of purposes for a range of markets, such as feed for dairy and beef cattle, as well as goats, horses, and sheep. Oaten Hay, Wheaten Hay and Barley Hay are a prime source of digestible fibre and can be fed alone or as part of a mixed ration feed. All hay produced by Balco Australia can be traced from the farmer to the end user. Traceability is crucial for ensuring food safety and compliance with international regulations. By accurately tracing the origin of Oaten Hay, Balco supports the protection of animal health and the transparency of all quality and grading of Oaten Hay.
Crops are sown at high seeding rates in late April to early May to promote early vigour and utilise available moisture.
Inspections are held by Balco Field Account Managers post seeding to identify any phytosanitary issues in the paddock such as sticks, stones, bones or other contaminants. A report is provided to the farmer to ensure the field is ready for cutting.
Pre-emergent chemistry is applied to suppress weed germination while a broadleaf application is sometimes necessary at tillering.
Crops are inspected prior to cutting to identify any weed or add mixture issues and to predict hay yield.
Hay crops are cut with a mower conditioner during the flowering stage to maximize quality and minimise drying time.
Super conditioning is a process that is sometimes undertaken to speed up the curing process and minimise the time between cutting and baling.
Hay is baled after curing to ensure a maximum of 14% moisture.
20% of bales are core tested in the paddock to provide a representative sample for Annual Rye Grass Toxicity and quality testing.
Core samples are returned to the lab and processed to ensure accurate quality results.
All hay samples are quality tested in our lab using our own Near Infrared calibration. Balco is undertakes independent and intensive product testing and research via internationally renowned Dairy One in the USA.
All hay received at a Balco site is accepted under strict receival and testing conditions. Moisture content must be less than 14%, Bales are also inspected for any foreign matter or contamination. Any bales that are high in moisture or that are contaminated are rejected on receival and sent back to farm to prevent contamination.
Balco production presses have in line, variable speed teasers to chop/mix the raw material bales together, this ensures Balco can deliver a very consistent product to the market. The press then utilises a contamination removal unit (CR Unit) to remove any contaminants that may be present such as, rocks, metal, or fines/dust.
The Balco production sites located at Bowmans in South Australia, Brookton in Western Australia and Raywood in Victoria provide a variety of options for customers’ requirements, catering to a range of specific packaging configurations. Balco takes pride in being industry leaders through our innovation and implementation of technology.
Australian hay is grown by farmers to fulfil a wide variety of purposes for a range of markets, such as feed for dairy and beef cattle, as well as goats, horses, and sheep. Stringent quality procedures ensure that all orders are free from contaminants and cross-checked prior to loading into containers. Every bale and container are meticulously checked by our production management team prior to dispatch.
Balco’s product filled containers are railed or trucked from each of our sites in Australia to their respective ports in the most cost effective and time efficient manner. These containers are then unloaded into the port ready to be loaded on vessels bound for our customers across the world.
Balco works closely with our freight forwarder to guarantee that our products reach our customers when they need it. Our dedicated documentation team obtains and completes the necessary documentation to ensure our products will clear customs and shipments can be tracked. Balco’s effective export management means reduced cost, improved efficiency and increased customer satisfaction.
Balco creates traceability of source material to finished product, which can be traced to show the product from paddock to the end user. Traceability is crucial for ensuring food safety and compliance with international regulations.
