It is ten years since Richard and Melissa Rose officially registered their Wannamal-based business, Western Hay. Since then their production has grown exponentially from a dusty tractor-driven chaff-cutter in the corner of Richards’ dad’s shed to a thriving business that processed over 5,000 tonnes of hay last financial year.
“We’ll smash through that in a big way this year,” Richard estimates, “but given the season, we’ll have a different market, a few rain events could change everything,” Richard’s passion for hay was germinated at an early age, “Dad always grew hay, and I used to go down with him to Bullsbrook to get it steam cut, it was so early in the morning, steam pouring everywhere and people running about, and I just thought – this is magic!” Finishing his schooling at Bindoon Catholic Agricultural college at 15, Richard worked as a hay contractor and then on the mines to save enough to buy the property next door to where he grew up, when he and Melissa were just 21 year-old newly-weds.
Working out fairly early on that farming was a gambler’s game, Richard decided to buy hay from other contractors and repackage it for end consumers. “Some of our success has been because we’ve got everything, compressed hay, normal hay, large bales, small bales, and every different flavour of chaff you can think of!” he says. His passion for creating a diverse range of products has kept his products in high demand, and 80% of sales are from feed stores, which are attracted to the simplicity of a one-stop shop. Its also won them specialty contracts such as Perth Zoo.
“They were using meadow hay for the giraffes, zebras and elephants, but I suggested they try the Rhodes hay,” he said “It’s worked particularly well for Tricia, the zoo’s matriarch elephant who had always struggled with weight. They can give her more treats now, because the Rhodes is so low in sugar.”
Custom long-cut chaff for performance horses and special high protein mixes for live export trade cattle are among the other specialised products Western Hay offer – and this is just the beginning. “Packaging is the next big thing,” he says. “We’ll be making a quantum leap next year with a new bagging machine that can compress and plastic wrap hay – it will be a niche market for us.” While Richard’s almost feverish enthusiasm for building his hay-empire is obvious, it’s also clear that his job-satisfaction is more important. “Aside from the dollars and cents, it’s all about making a good product, and the people – it’s a family atmosphere here and having pride in our work and camaraderie – it’s what makes it worthwhile.”
