INTERNATIONAL keynote speakers will outline some potential new markets for Western Australian hay producers at the 2009 National Fodder Conference in Fremantle on July 28.
Among them will be Russell Wards, the herd manager of Al Safi Dairy Saudi Arabia, which feeds 26,000 dairy cows.
Mr Wards will outline the challenges of producing fodder and feeding dairy cows in the desert.
Al Safi Dairy grows and feeds 125,000 tonnes of fodder each year in one of the world's most difficult climates.
These sources of roughage are mixed with energy grains such as corn and barley that are imported from Australia, the US and the Ukraine.
As in Australia, the conservation of high quality forage is critical to livestock producers of Saudi Arabia when rainfall limits pasture growth.
With annual rainfall less than 85 mm and temperatures of 50 degrees C not unusual, fodder production for dairy cows in Saudi Arabia is truly challenging.
Mr Wards will provide his insights into the Al Safi operation that produces lucerne hay, Rhodes grass hay and barley silage on a farm 200 kilometers from the location of the dairy.
The Australian Fodder Industry Association will host the National Fodder Conference on July 28 and 29 at the Esplanade Hotel in Fremantle.
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