ABOVE average rainfall this year has promoted strong vegetation growth, indicating greater yields for farmers and a successful hay season.
“Add to that the current high demand for hay – in part due to the mouse plague in NSW wreaking havoc on stored hay – a lot of farmers are growing hay right now,” AFAC chief officer, Jason Heffernan said.
CFA volunteer firefighters responded to dozens of haystack fires last year. Haystack fires can start from lightning strikes or sparks from machinery, but a major source of ignition is spontaneous combustion of the haybales themselves.
“This can happen to any haybales, regardless of size, and it is something farmers can help prevent,” Heffernan said. “After baling, make sure you check the heat and smell of the bales before stacking them into hay sheds or large external stacks, and leave any suspect bales separate from the rest.”
Reflecting a booming grain season, Victorian farmers have converted surplus grain into a $100,000 donation to the CFA, facilitated by agribusiness, GrainCorp.
“Grain is sent to us by truck, but those vehicles can sometimes be overloaded which isn’t safe,” said Kieran Gardner, GrainCorp’s road compliance manager.
“To help prevent overloading, we had a program where additional grain from trucks that have exceeded their limits is sold, and the funds from that are donated to charities or appropriate organisations.
“We had a big harvest last year and we’re getting ready for another this season which is great following on from a few years of drought.”
“CFA has a huge presence within farming communities, and harvester fires are a big risk every summer.”
The money will go into CFA’s Public Fund and will go towards building the capabilities of CFA volunteers.
