2025 Hay Quality Award Winners - Part 2 with Michael Pfitzner and Wayne Williams

PODCAST HIGHLIGHTSIn this episode of Hay Matters, brought to you by Local Ag and Feed Central, Steve Page continues celebrating this year's National Hay Quality Award winners with another outstanding partnership. In the Riverina, Michael Pfitzner has secured back-to-back vetch hay Visual Awards – the National winner last year and NSW State winner this year, working closely with contractor Wayne Williams to achieve consistently exceptional results. Their collaboration showcases the precision timing and equipment choices that separate award-winning hay from the rest of the field.● Michael and Drew Pfitzner operate 3,400 hectares (8,500 acres) of cropping in the Riverina with vetch comprising 10-12% of their rotation alongside other legumes including lupins, lentils and peas.● Their award-winning vetch hay achieved 3-4 tonne per hectare yields across multiple paddocks, with the state award-winning lot stored under hay caps in the paddock and successfully avoiding rain damage.● Wayne Williams uses a Claas 930 with triple 10-meter mowers cutting 50 acres per hour, followed by a 10-meter merger for windrow management and a New Holland 1290 HD baler with loop knot system producing 650kg bales.● Strategic use of silage inoculant proved crucial when September weather turned challenging, with only 20 out of 1,000 bales showing heat issues after rain events that required re-working the windrows.● Michael has used the Local Ag Marketplace platform and likes that it provided secure payment systems and is creating trusted buyer-seller relationships through built-in messaging and transparent transaction processes.● Machinery ownership challenges drive contractor relationships, with Wayne’s specialised equipment including merger technology capable of combining 2-5 windrows and shifting material up to 30 feet in single passes for optimal bale density.● Wayne had a devastating shed fire last year that destroyed 1,000 tonnes of lucerne-sorghum mix hay after seven weeks in storage, highlighting critical insurance lessons with shed values nearly doubling during the four-year period since construction.