General News
20 March, 2026
Successful open day for QA Hay
Two Wimmera farmers, Scott Somers and Paul Johns, who have decades of experience in farming between them, have put their passion for designing a state-of-the-art, user-friendly hay plant into practice and will open an export hay operation in the Wimmera featuring that machinery.
QA Hay, or Quality Australian Hay, is based in the Wimmera Region on Henty Highway in Warracknabeal and will purchase all grades of hay and straw for the export market, operating at 28 tonnes per hour, 24 hours a day, five days a week.
Local growers and members of the agricultural sector were given a first-hand view of the new facility at its first open day on Tuesday.
"About 90 people attended the Open Day and heard from industry speakers," QA Hay Grower Liaison/Logistics, Jason Shilling.
Jason joined QA Hay about a month ago, but is a lifelong local and has been in the agricultural industry for about 30 years. While hay is new to him, he said he is across the agricultural industry and is very pleased to be a part of a brand-new initiative in the industry.
"We were very pleased with the interest by those attending and the widespread interest too," he said.
"People came from Donald, Nhill, Kaniva, Lake Bolac and further afield, and there was strong support from the local people too," he said.
Speakers included Dan Fay from InterGrain, who spoke about new oaten varieties in the gene pool.
Dan grew up in Lake Bolac on a mixed farm in Victoria’s Western District and has since built a career spanning agricultural research, development and extension.
He has worked across farms in both the Western District and the Wimmera, giving him first-hand knowledge of the region’s farming systems.
Travis Hair from Crop Opti shared details about the economic space.
With over 20 years of experience in agriculture, he has deep expertise in agronomy and procurement.
He manages fertiliser, ag chem, and finance sourcing to ensure clients get the best value across the board.
QA Hay General Manager, Micha Mueller, joined Jason, who addressed the event detailing the operations and how it will benefit the local growers.
"We were very pleased with the attendance and the positive response we had on the day and since the event," Jason said.
QA Hay offers 35,000T of storage across four sheds, including three storage sheds.
"Machinery will be calibrated at the end of May, and we plan to be officially open for business in June," Jason said.
"QA Hay offers a new avenue to export hay from the local region into the International Market, and we are over the moon with the response from the industry and the community in general and are proud to be offering this service to our farmers," Jason said.
They have partnered with Visy Logistics to facilitate the supply chain for local farmers, ensuring efficient transport from farms to international markets.
Full-time and casual job opportunities across a range of roles, including Production floor and Office positions, Telehandler Operators, Plant Operation and Production, Maintenance and Administration and Customer Service roles will be opening up in the coming weeks, making QA Hay a new major employer in the industry.