As drought and fire takes a toll on the supply of hay and fodder along Australia's eastern seaboard, farmers in Victoria's west are banding together to donate a staggering amount of hay to struggling farmers.

Key points: Victorian farmers enjoying a bumper harvest are donating hay and fodder to NSW farmers affected by drought and fire

Victorian farmers enjoying a bumper harvest are donating hay and fodder to NSW farmers affected by drought and fire A convoy of about 200 trucks is expected to transport feed as part of Burrumbuttock Hay Runners' Australia Day hay run

A convoy of about 200 trucks is expected to transport feed as part of Burrumbuttock Hay Runners' Australia Day hay run More than 6,000 bales have been donated by farmers in the Wimmera district of Victoria

A few thousand hay bales from the Wimmera district alone have been donated, with a convoy of around 40 trucks leaving on Thursday to transport the feed across the border.

It is a part of the Burrumbuttock Hay Runners' Australia Day hay run, which will see around 200 trucks carrying hay and straw escorted by police to the Armidale region of New South Wales.

Green Lake farmer Daniel Mibus said growers in the Wimmera had enjoyed a great harvest and they wanted to help those who could barely afford to feed their stock.

"Even though they've had rain in the last few weeks, the drought is still kicking," he said.

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Mr Mibus and his neighbour Sam McGennisken set up a staging area near their properties where hay has been dropped off over the past few weeks.

"We had a good year down here and we do have some excess straw on our paddock," Mr Mibus said

"We thought 'why don't we get it baled and send it up there where it will be needed most?'"

Around 10 trucks left Horsham on Thursday morning, meeting with another convoy of about 30 trucks at St Arnaud, also in the Wimmera, before going onto Burrumbuttock in the NSW Riverina.

Most of the hay will be headed for Armidale, while some will go to farmers affected by bushfires.

Mr McGennisken said he was looking forward to meeting NSW farmers.

"It's just what the farming community is all about; we are more than happy to help out," he said.

"This hay will go straight to the farms and to feeding stock."

'It could easily happen to us'

While farmers in New South Wales and Queensland are struggling, western Victorian growers have enjoyed a bumper harvest.

Data from Graincorp, one of the country's largest grain handlers, shows more than 2.5 million tonnes of grain has been received at their Victorian sites.

Farmers at the Horsham Regional Livestock Exchange donated more than 1,000 hay bales to their NSW counterparts. ( ABC Wimmera: Sean Wales )

A number of receival sites in western Victoria have broken harvest records, and some have even had to be closed.

It is a stark difference in NSW where around 500,000 tonnes of grain has been brought into Graincorp sites. In Queensland it is less than 150,000 tonnes.

"It could easily happen to us; we could get wiped out by fire or have a bad year with drought," Mr Mibus said.

"We'd like to think people would help us if we are in that situation so while we can, we'd like to give to those who need it."

Overall, more than 6,000 bales of hay have been donated from around the Wimmera, with a couple of thousand heading to NSW on this trip.

The price of hay has doubled in price from $50 a tonne to $100 says a Queensland hay distributor. ( Supplied: Horsham Rural City Council )

Mr Mibus said there were still thousands of hay bales at the drop-off point near Horsham, which they would to try to take to communities affected by bushfires in the coming months.

"We are having a look at maybe taking some to Kangaroo Island, but are trying to work out logistically how to do that on a ferry," he said.

Hay prices on the rise

Farmers are frantically buying hay and fodder, with supplies seriously low at the moment due to the drought and the country's bushfire crisis is only making things worse.

One hay distributor in Queensland said prices had doubled from $50 a tonne to $100, while the Australian Fodder Industry Association has cautioned feed supplies could become extraordinarily tight by late March.

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But Mr Mibus said he was not interested in trying to make a dollar.

"We have sold some hay but for this run, everything is 100 per cent donated," he said.

"It's organised by Burrumbuttock Hay Runners who help find the trucks and drivers; we just get the donations for fuel.

"It's completely done on everyone's generosity."