There was a time when few considered Timothy hay to be of great value, and some viewed it as little better than a weed.
Even when people began to realize that there was a market for good long fibre forage in Asia, it would have been difficult to predict the tremendous success of Timothy hay as an export crop.
Canada's first shipment of Timothy to the Far East in 1981 consisted of a grand total of 17 tonnes of compressed hay bales. In 1999, Canadian shipments to Japan alone totalled 149,000 tonnes - with some of it fetching as much as $210 per tonne (FOB at the processing plant). Little wonder there are now over 1,000 producers on the Prairies, the majority in Alberta, growing Timothy.
Timothy is a perfect example of how paying attention to potential export markets can pay huge dividends, says farm manager Bill MacFarquhar of Cremona, Alberta.
"The first players that got involved were some fellows on the processing side," says MacFarquhar. "And as they've grown, the producers have grown with them."
Timing was key. Just as Canada was gearing up its production and export efforts, demand in the Far East began to grow, with imports of long-fibre forage more than doubling. That allowed the Canadian industry to become established and develop the ability and expertise to compete head-on with the U.S., which remains the dominant player in the market.
But even though he describes Timothy as "the latest Cinderella crop," MacFarquhar doesn't take the market for granted.
"We follow the export statistics very closely and what the product mix is that's being shipped," he says. "I know all the processors on a personal basis, not just one I ship to... we know what the trade issues are."
In addition, MacFarquhar - who is also an agricultural management consultant and board member of the Canadian Farm Business Management Council - uses market newsletters and keeps a close eye on what's going on in the livestock industry both here and abroad.
The name of the game is generating profits, and if the same old crops aren't doing it, then you have to look for new opportunities - even if they are half a world away.
"With any new venture or new idea, the risks are higher and the learning curve is steeper, but the rewards are bigger," says MacFarquhar.
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