FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Wow, doesn't time fly when you work everyday 😂 l baled up some more of the 4th cut Lucerne last night. Because of this winter weather, it's possible that the Lucerne Hay will be down-graded, just waiting to bale the river section which could be within the next few days. l will advertise the bales once when its baled, in packs and in the shed. Speaking of the shed, it has been a quite season, haven't been able to produce as much hay so just the main shed has never been at it's capacity. Saying this means that there definitely won't be Lucerne Hay available all till the new season. l give it two months worth. With Easter around the corner, don't forget that l am closed Good Friday to Easter Sunday and re-opening Easter Monday 7am. All products, services and Live Chat will not be available during this time. Please make sure you have enough hay to last you for those 3 days of being closed. Maybe head over to Inverleigh & Districts Good Friday Appeal Family Fun Day at Victoria Park, Inverleigh on Friday 18th April 10am to 5pm. They have a Live Auction, and you could buy 10 x Delicious Lucerne Hay bales. 11/04/25 - Mowed the rest of the 4th cut Lucerne Hay the other day, hoping it will dry out enough to start raking it so it can cure properly. The weather is looking promising over the next week, possible rain on Saturday 19th April but will definitely have it all baled by then as we have some hot days coming. Unfortunately, the last lot of 4th cut Lucerne Hay went into silage, which has all been sold pending payment this weekend. Black Swans are in the dam, how many can you see. Trust me when l say that you need to count two or three times as you'll get a different number each time. We have had professionals coming to cull the ducks as they cause too much damage to the Lucerne growing. Since there are less ducks now. there are more swans. Farmer Geoff's Italian Rye Grass is almost all sold out, with only 320 bales remaining for this season. Next season starts Dec/ Jan 2026. Have you tried downloading Matthey Farm mobile app? It's quite simple and there is instructions on how to do so in FAQ. It is an easier process to use then this website as long as you remember to complete all three steps. There has been a few customers who Sign Up to create their account on this website and forget that they need to Log In every time they wish to communicate or to place an order. This website is safe to stay Logged In, saves working out which email you used or if it's Facebook or Google account. It is only complicated if you make it. Majority of customers find the whole process simple to use. I cannot link the products and services as one as this "Wix" program doesn't allow it sorry. So just continue to communicate, see your spam emails for replies when offline and have a look at all the help you can get from all the answers in FAQ. Farmer Gene is available at times during Live Chat from 7am to 7pm daily if you cannot find the answer in FAQ.

Please read all as this may affect your ordering process (press See More). SIGN UP is for anyone NEW wanting to order and becoming a Site Member, this is done once per member. Add your name, phone, email and address which is used for ordering, saves typing it out. No details are given to any third party. Sign Up is used initially to create your account. Please have that conversation with Farmer Gene on Live Chat about your last purchase of which hay. Just take a little time to get to know this website and its features, monthly updates in FAQ. See Spam email for responses when you are offline from this website. LOG IN Every time you are on this website to order. No duplicate accounts. You can alter your orders 3 hours prior in your "My Account" section. LIVE CHAT Is from 7am to 7pm daily. When Farmer Gene replies to your message, and you are offline, the reply will be sent via email (check spam/ junk folder) for Site Members only. Visitors have to come online again to see the replied response. ORDERING - You must follow the 3 Steps in ANYONE can purchase to avoid your order being cancelled at 7am. There has been a glitch with the ordering system. Customers are not looking for the TWO methods of Confirmation 1. Receive a message via Live Chat from Farmer Gene to say your order is confirmed. If you are offline, an email is sent to your spam folder. 2. Two emails confirmation for your order. Customers turning up to the farm with incomplete orders to get their hay. Please don't assume your order has been processed. * Emails can be hiding in your spam/ junk folder. SO ALL ORDERS MUST BE CONFIRMED by Farmer Gene in Live Chat please. There is a Step 1, 2 and 3 picture process in FAQ to help you. The last page to complete all your ordering should have the product/s, quantity, day and time of your booking. Just click "PLACE ORDER" in blue and it will send Farmer Gene a message of your order. PASSWORD A Regular Customer can buy the Horse Quality small squares as advertised if they have purchased these products since January 2024. Stockfeed subsection is available to those who have purchased Stockfeed bales since December 2024. Please speak to Farmer Gene via Live Chat, to get the password to access either subsection if you are eligible. And no it's not Open Sesame 😄 Anyone can purchase from the opened section but must be a site member first. 🛑 CLOSED Matthey Farm will be closed Friday 18th April 2025 and reopens 7am Monday 21st April 2025 and again Christmas to New Year. There will be no products shown, all appointments blocked, and will not be available for Live Chat during this time off. This website is still new to all of us and will always continue to improve all features so its easy for both parties to use. All and any feedback, positive or negative is greatly appreciated with the service, this website and hay. Thank you for your time to read, cheers Farmer 🤠 Gene 😡 SCAMMERS - they appear to be still quite active on Facebook, using the Matthey Farm business name and address. If you are using a new supplier, insist that you will only be paying cash on both pick up and delivery as all Australian Farmers will accept cash. Do your homework prior to purchasing, take your time to look at the page, ask your friends about the supplier, does the information look genuine? If you have been scammed or if you believe that you could be, please report the page/ person to Consumer Affairs, Facebook, the Police and your Bank. Click here to Report a scam - Consumer Affairs Victoria The more reports are given, the more chances of action being taken. FYI - Matthey Farm will NOT have any grass rounds for sale this season. The only hay that is available is always advertised on the HAY FOR SALE product picture in any of the SHOP subsections.

Price change for all Lucerne Hay is due to the supply and demand. There is not much hay available in our region this season unfortunately due to the severe heat we have had the last four months with very little rain breaks. HAY in Victoria - With limited amount of hay supply in our region and my shed, all customers should source hay in bulk to store to last till the new season Nov/ Dec 2025. If you are buying from a new supplier, please use cash only to avoid being scammed. I have a local Facebook hay group to help source some hay, which will soon have Victoria wide suppliers advertised. HAY Geelong & Surrounds (link below) Here is the link; HAY Geelong & Surrounds VIC 🐴🐂🐏🐖🐪🐓🐇 | Facebook Regular Customers will be given the opportunity to use the new Matthey Farm app for ordering. It is a lot easier and simple to use. l will send out information to most regular customers (RC) who have the badge "Regular Customer 25". Please keep an eye in your spam/ junk email folder or scroll upwards in your messages for instructions. You can also get the instructions in FAQ under "Matthey Farm App (mobiles only)". So, when RC orders, not only you need the password, you also need to have the RC 24 or 25 badge assigned to you. RC's can alter your order (prior to 3 hours of collection) in 'my account". l will get the notification of change via email. 4th cut Lucerne Hay - pretty happy with getting most of the 4th cut around the main farm done. There are sections that l didn't get to process due to the lucerne plant being too old & scarce and probably won't be this season as it too dry and the water in the dam is limited for the last of the cut 4th. The shed has not been at full capacity this season, just haven't been able to produce large quantities. The lucerne hay in the shed will not be able to last till the new season Oct/ Nov 2025. Paperwork - getting on top of all my paperwork during the really hot days. l always do this manually, no computers for me. Always plenty of odd jobs to do around the farm and maintaining machinery. Actually having a bit of time to catch up with family and friends which is always a bonus. Italian Rye Grass Hay - Farmer Geoff's - this supply is getting low, under 600 bales remaining. This definitely won't last till the new season Dec/Jan 2025. SCAMMERS - they appear to be still quite active on Facebook, using the Matthey Farm business name and address. If you are using a new supplier, insist that you will only be paying cash on both pick up and delivery as all Australian Farmers will accept cash. Do your homework prior to purchasing, take your time to look at the page, ask your friends about the supplier, does the information look genuine? If you have been scammed or if you believe that you could be, please report the page/ person to Consumer Affairs, Facebook, the Police and your Bank. Click here to Report a scam - Consumer Affairs Victoria The more reports are given, the more chances of action being taken. 13/03/25 - how lucky are we, got 2mm of rain late evening yesterday. So excited that it can still rain out our way. Still spending heaps of time irrigating and making sure the weeds are out of the sprinkler's way. Have you noticed there is Black Swans in the dam? I have seen up to four at once. They are the bigger birds amongst the ducks and cootes. 24/03/25 - Another day of mowing sections of 4th cut Lucerne Hay, started yesterday. There won't be much of the remaining 4th cut due to the limited supply of water/ rain. Although we did get 19mm rain last week and was very happy to see. It helped everything grow and looking much better. The shed is looking a bit empty, hoping to put some more much needed horse quality lucerne hay in there but l may run out in a few months. Definitely won't have a supply of hay lasting till next season, October/ November 2025/ Thank you, Farmer 🤠 Gene

Wow, that was some busy times! Almost all the 3rd cut Lucerne Hay has been baled and lucky l waited for the last heatwave to pass before mowing, otherwise it would of copped 38mm of rain received. Picture is of the big whirlly whirlly prior to the rain coming. Loads of thunder and the lightening show was very impressive, What ruined everything was the wind late afternoon and throughout the night. Very happy to get all that rain as it saves me using the last of the water in the dam for the up coming 4th cut. So 1st cut Lucerne Hay is all sold, 2nd cut was average, 3rd cut was pretty good and 4th cut in the very near future to process and will be a smaller quantity due to limited water supply for irrigation. As of today, 05/02, Farmer Geoff only has 923 bales of his Italian Rye remaining, which is all for this season. Won't last till the new season in Nov/ Dec 2025. HAY FOR SALE product in black is what Matthey Farm currently has available and is always up to date. At the moment there is only three products available for regular customers, including stockfeed which is atm $17 Yummy Lucerne. Unless l can produce a lower grade of Lucerne Hay (caused by the weather) in the next few cuts, this could be the remaining of variety of hay available till the new season starting Oct/ Nov 2025. SOLD - all Silage, Stockfeed, Mulch, Phalaris Grass and wasn't able to make any straw bales this season (crop died). At this date, l still have NOT produced any Rounds of Lucerne Hay. Farmer Geoff definitely does NOT have any Rounds of Grass. Silage, Stockfeed and Mulch might still be made during this season, depending on the weather conditions when the hay is due to be bailed. Sign Up and LOG IN difference - When you first open your account with Matthey Farm, you are signing up. When you are returning to the Matthey Farm website, you need to always LOG IN to order and chat. Last of the 3rd cut Lucerne Hay will be mowed tomorrow, 06/02/25. 13/02/25 - 3rd cut Silage Lucerne Hay, the last of the hay sections was baled early hours this morning into Silage. This was due to rain being predicted to arrive today in the evening and the hay wasn't cured enough to make small bales or rounds. There is only 24 silages available and can be picked up from 27/03/25 (as the silage needs to ferment a minimum of 6 weeks prior to using). You can order and pay for it now to reserve your silage. Volunteer needed to assist with finalising mobile app, must be a Regular Customer please with some spare time and to give me honest feedback. Send me a message on Live Chat. Mobile App will help with streamline ordering and get notifications for messages in Live Chat. Would you like to test drive it? 20/02/25 - Well, l wont be mowing along our road again. A rock came from the mower and smashed my back window of the tractor. Frightening me. l hope l can get a window tomorrow as l am using the tractor often atm. 21/02/25 - Had to drive to Sunshine to get the window and thanks to Matt from Ballarat John Deere dropping off the rubber seal. 28/02/25 - 4th cut Lucerne Hay is well under way with cured Lucerne possibly being baled at some stage tonight. l will not be able to bale it all tonight but hoping to make a start if the weather conditions are ideal. Just wondering if anyone is receiving an SMS from me to remind you of your order to pick up in 24 hours? It would be great if this system is actually working. Italian Rye grass is getting low. As of this moment, 710 bales remain till the new season in Dec/ Jan.

Happy New Years to all and hope you are keeping well and full from Christmas lunch/ dinner. Christmas/ New Year Closed: Farmer Gene would like to thank those who helped during his Mental Health days off (Xmas to New Year) by allowing him to have that much needed break from his mobile especially. It was nice to have all the notifications off and not having it by his side at all times. Unfortunately, you always get a special few who made his anxiety worse by booking orders using the only product advertised (stating the farm was closed) and even showing up to the farm. Just a tad disappointed that we still have customers who cannot read. Next Mental Health break is Good Friday to Easter Sunday. This WEBSITE has been going for nearly two months now and it appears to be going well from this end. How is it at your end? There are some customers who need to start looking at their emails or Live Chat as there is a lot of missed communication still. See FAQ for assistance. * Every time you are on this website. you must LOGIN. This helps with the communication on Live Chat and our messages are kept like Facebook, so you can scroll up to see previous correspondence. Also you'll need to keep an eye on your email account as at times when your offline, your message will be sent here (check spam/ junk folder), l do this daily. All the 2ND CUT LUCERNE HAY has been baled and stacked into the shed. Most of this got caught out in the heat, so some is quite sunbleached. Actually, the 1st cut is better quality overall. Farmer Gene has been busy during his Mental Health time out. Not only did he make time to catch up with family, he finished all the 2nd cut Lucerne Hay and packed the remaining bales of grass and straw for Farmer Geoff. RAINFALL on Monday was very much needed as the dam is getting low. Got 19mm altogether. The Lucerne is looking great out in the paddocks. But now Farmer Gene is tossing up if to mow now (starting Tuesday) or not. The decision all depends on the up coming weather. Yes the sun is out again, but possible rain on both Sunday 12th and Tuesday 14th. What to do? There is still not enough Lucerne Hay in the shed to offer delivers yet. Not sure if this will change. Just depends on which quality lucerne that can be produced when all the 3rd cut lucerne is baled. To mow or not to mow, that is the question. Stay tuned ......... STOCKFEED subsection has been created to provide to those who have purchased the Stockfeed Lucerne bales this season, the opportunity to continue buying lucerne hay (Tasty Lucerne Hay only) for their cattle, sheep, goats and alpacas. 21/01/25 - 3rd cut Lucerne Hay is underway now. It has been cut and raked a few times, could possibly start baling tonight if the weather and the lucerne moisture content is good. There are still new customers coming through and not reading the generic information that is given to them. Please take the time to show initiative and take the time to read and complete your order correctly the first and every time. And do NOT assume your order has gone through and just turn up at the farm. Please seek the two lots of confirmation. SCAMMERS - they appear to be still quite active on Facebook, using the Matthey Farm business name and address. If you are using a new supplier, insist that you will only be paying cash on both pick up and delivery as all Australian Farmers will accept cash. Do your homework prior to purchasing, take your time to look at the page, ask your friends about the supplier, does the information look genuine? If you have been scammed or if you believe that you could be, please report the page/ person to Consumer Affairs, Facebook, the Police and your Bank. Click here to Report a scam - Consumer Affairs Victoria The more reports are given, the more chances of action being taken. FYI - Matthey Farm will NOT have any grass rounds for sale this season. The only hay that is available is always advertised on the HAY FOR SALE product in any of the SHOP subsections. 25/01/25 - 3rd cut most of this is now in the shed in packs. It looks great and Delicious!! Pictures never look as good as real life, l never alter any of the pictures. So now l am now mowing the rest of the 3rd cut Lucerne Hay around the farm. The dam is looking very low now and the weather is very dry. Hoping to get to mow some 4th cut in a month and that might be it for this season. Farmer Geoff's grass is down to 936 bales (won't last long) and Farmer Gene's Phalaris grass is only TWO bales left. So the weather says 40 degrees on Monday 😲 The shed is looking a bit better now since most of the 3rd cut is in there. It still wont be enough hay to last till the end of this season so make sure you have a back up plan of sourcing/ storing hay to last till Nov/Dec.

🛑 Please be aware the Matthey Farm will be closed Tuesday 25th December 2024 from 3pm and reopens on Thursday 2nd January 2025 at 7am. Wow, doesn't time fly when you have fun! Santa will be here is no time 😆 Farmer Gene always has this week off (usually working anyway, but he has the opportunity to catch up with family from around our land of oz when they visit) Farmer Gene is hoping to start the 2nd cut Lucerne Hay soon (when it stops raining, but definitely not complaining at the moment). The rain is saving the water l have reserved in the dam. Consumers, please show initiative and take your time to have a look around in this website, know your features and things to help you. Behind the scenes when there's time, is always consistently updating something in here to help make the whole process user friendly. You may notice "word" changes. If you have any positive or negative feedback about something, please let Farmer Gene know via Live Chat. Have a look around in FAQ, there are a lot of questions which get asked regularly. When Farmer Gene starts get super busy again soon, he will only be directing you to FAQ instead of answering as he needs to focus on what he is doing (usually using machinery). Visitors - please do NOT send any messages unless you Login first as there is no point Farmer Gene responding to your query if you are offline as messages do not go to your email address. Visitors can look, not touch (so to speak). l sound like a broken record, but please take the time to follow the 3 Steps in the subsection "ANYONE can purchase" and wait for the confirmation of your completed order by Farmer Gene to know that it has been received. Incomplete orders are cancelled, and no order is taken via Live Chat or email. And remember, the only hay/ straw that is available is only what is advertised. There are no hidden doors or special customers. What you currently see is it. When a new product is created, it will then be advertised for sale. You will be updated in this newsletter of the progress of 2nd cut Lucerne Hay, what will Farmer Gene produce? 😄 So far, the last couple of days the 2nd cut Lucerne has been mowed, still more to go at some stage. Lots of watering uncut Lucerne as its going to be toasty warm weather. Great effort to those who are actually taking their time to complete their first order successfully. It will get easier, like riding a bike. Please let Farmer Gene know if there are any concerns, so he can help out if you cannot find it in FAQ. Picture of some of the 2nd cut Lucerne Hay baled and still heaps out curing. None is in the shed just yet. Will be bailing more tonight (15th Dec) So l will start to pack when its all baled so we don't spoil the cured hay being out in the heat for too long. Will advise quality (name of hay) once when its packed and safe n sound in the shed. Busy Busy!! 16th Well, not very successful last night as the dew came in at 12:30pm, so Farmer Gene had to stop baling. Waiting for the wind to pick up in early hours, but it didn't arrive. Got to bale a few more mid-morning but soon had to give up due to the heat. Had a much-needed afternoon nap and plan to pack all the bales that are out there. The only positive today was this rainbow this morning at 6am. Gotta love mother nature. Very exciting news, our Shire has done the road, so no corrugated bumps to drive on for a while. So most of the 2nd cut Lucerne Hay has been irrigated, mower conditioned, raked, cured, baled, packed and is now in the shed. To be honest, the 1st cut is actually better quality this year as the 2nd cut is very sun-bleached. Picture of Farmer Gene hard at it during the wee hours of the morning. He hardly stops this fella. There are three more big sections of 2nd cut Lucerne to go. It's not looking promising as the heatwave is back again around Christmas. Oh well, sun-bleached hay does not lose its nutritional value, it's just appearance.

Hi there and Welcome to the new Matthey Farm Website (09/11/24) where all things are weird and new. l will be creating a monthly Newsletter here until l can find a spot on this website. We both may have so much to learn about modern technology. *** Always check your spam/ junk folder in your emails as there might be correspondence from Farmer Gene if you are offline on this website *** Thursday 21st Nov we are having a Student Tour - 17 students from Bannockburn P-12 College 11:20am to 2pm. They will be learning about life on the land, having lunch and a farm tour all around, learning about Agriculture. Edited: it was a great success and idea to educate our next generation. So, this month is the start of the 1st cut Lucerne Hay and also the Phalaris/ Rye grass (very small section around the weir) on the Matthey Farm. It's been an interesting start to the hay season with sporadic weather conditions, going from one extreme to the next. Farmer Gene is regularly updating the FAQ section with additional information in some questions and creating more questions which has been asked. This process will take some time, please be patient and together we will create a streamline site. Also behind the scenes of a website (its dark and daunting) but will do the best to make it easier to use. ** To order any products from Matthey Farm, you must become a "Site Member." You will be approved and will need to confirm your email address to avoid those who lurk in the background to scam you out of your had working money, yes, those scammers. You only need to do this once, its permanent and any orders received from anyone who is not a Site Member, it will be cancelled. Since being a new site member, please send me a message via Live Chat which hay/ straw you intend to purchase and if you are a regular customer (HQ since Jan24). Always make sure that your put your first and last name so Farmer Gene knows who you are. You would be surprised how many customers there is with the same first name. Login or stay logged in at the Matthey Farm so if you need to use Live Chat to Farmer Gene, he may respond while your offline and so the message goes to your email address. If you are having trouble with the Step by Step instructions to order on the Products and Service section, then l have a picture version here in FAQ. Just have a look in the "Ordering Questions" section of FAQ or just search the word "picture". Looks like there will be some of Farmer Geoff's grass coming to the Matthey Farm to sell, but it won't be as much as last year, very limited. Keep an eye in products for when they are ready to be sold. The grass hay will be advertised in Products & Service section in the last week of November. It might be a hard season for silage as it appears to be too dry so far. Please consider stockfeed lucerne hay which anyone can purchase. 23/11 - What a busy night for all the Farmers👨🏻‍🌾 Gene, Geoff & Steve. With about two hours sleep yesterday afternoon, it's been another long night, a race against the weather to get all the Lucerne and Grass Hay baled, packed and stacked into the shed. We can tick off Lucerne Hay and Geoff's Grass Hay has been done (over 6k bales in total), just need to do the Grass Hay (Phalaris & Rye) small patch baled, packed and stacked before the rain is due this afternoon. Then a much-needed rest for all three. Please be aware the Matthey Farm will be closed Tuesday 25th December 2024 from 3pm and reopens on Thursday 2nd January 2025 at 7am. During this time, Farmer Gene will not be available via Live Chat and there will be no products advertised during this time. Please make sure that you purchase the hay you need while its closed. You must complete Step 2 & 3 simultaneously to avoid your order being cancelled after half hour of making it if no communication has been made via Live Chat (in your email if offline). 24/11/24 - Grass Hay is finally advertised for Regular Customers only sorry (please see FAQ for Regular Customer definition) - all stored in the shed prior to the rains arriving. The price is reflected on the quantity and quality of the hay. Also, the supply and demand is important to include as there is only 1,200 bales of Italian Rye and only 200 bales of the Phalaris & Rye grass. Once when all this grass is sold, that is it for this season till Nov/ Dec 2025. Limits may apply and there is never delivery offered for any grass hay. It was a big few weeks and Farmer Gene finally caught up on his sleep yesterday afternoon. Sleeping for 8 hours straight, awake for 2 hours and back to sleep for another 8 hours. Working 22 hours a day for most days does takes it's toll and none of us are getting any younger 🤣 27/11/24 - to avoid further confusion to some existing customers, the ordering process (step 2) has changed slightly. There is now two subsections to the SHOP tab at the main menu. l am hoping this is the solution and encourages those to reach out via Live Chat for communication to new visitors which hay they are eligible to purchase. Please continue to give feedback via 'Live Chat" and keep an eye on your emails, especially in your spam/ junk folder as there might be something from the Matthey Farm. Don't forget Matthey Farm closes for a week around Christmas to New Year, so please purchase what you need for now. No stocking up yet, the shed isn't even half full and will start 2nd Lucerne Hay in a few weeks. I am guessing that you will be able to stock up in the New Year. It will be advertised in FAQ when.

Live Chat is the only way of communicating to Farmer Gene daily from 7am to 7pm. This is located on this website, the almost green round on the right bottom of your page. If there is a message in here, there will be a red number on the icon. Visitors - it is hard to keep the communication open as you are not logged in the website and when you are offline, you don't get any notification of replied messages. You just need to go to the website and click the Live Chat icon to see if there has been a response Site Members - You need to be logged on to chat so the conversation is sent to your email when you are offline. (check you spam/ junk email folder) and you can click "Reply Now" in the email to save you logging onto the website. Live Chat is the similar to Facebook messenger that all your previous conversations is just a matter of scrolling upwards for all Site Members. When Farmer Gene replies to your query or confirms your order and you are offline, then this will be sent to your email address. You can reply to the email by pressing "Reply Now" save going into the website to respond.

Please note there are numerous monitor security cameras which record around on the Matthey Farm so don't go snooping around looking at things outside of your picking up hay timeslot. Please respect Farmer Gene's property. All you need is right at the mailbox, envelopes, hand sanitiser, a cold-water running tap, a fire extinguisher and a small first aid kit with basic essentials. The house on the property is out of bounds, renters do NOT have anything to do with the farm.

During this time, Farmer Gene will not be available via Live Chat, there will be no products advertised during this time and no times available to book. Please make sure that you purchase enough hay you to last till farm reopens. Thank you for helping Farmer Gene through the transition from Facebook to this Website. It may appear daunting at first, but it is a very easy process for both parties when ordering. Farmer Gene, Geoff & Steve would like to wish you and your furry family a Very Happy Easter Next dates for Matthey Farm to be closed is: Friday 18th April 2025 and reopens 7am Monday 21st April 2025. and Wednesday 3pm 24th December 2025 and reopens 7am Friday 2nd January 2026.

Being a farm, there are often snakes around, mostly in the Summer time. If you do see one, stay still first to decide on your options for safety. Are you able to get into your car or walk outside the shed in the open area away from the snake? Most snakes are generally as scared of you, then you are of them. Tiger snakes are a different story. They can be aggressive if they feel threatened. There is a basic First Aid kit near the mailbox if required. Please only use what you need and let me know so l can top it up so there is plenty of items supplied for others. Make some noise and they will slither away. If you need to, make arrangements for another day/ time for pick up? Please let me know when you are in a safe environment that you seen a snake, just so Farmer Gene can be mindful when distributing orders out in the shed and alert customers. There's not much you can do when you see a snake other than keeping your distance. They live here too, and we all try to get along 👀😳

Most customers have spoken and have met our famous Farmer Gene. He is the main man at the Matthey Farm, dedicating his day, every day to the farm to produce the highest quality of Oaten & Lucerne hay for all your furbabies. Farmer Gene is an amazing farmer, very loyal and tries to do his best all the time. Customers (your furbabies) satisfaction is his up most importance and tries to get it all perfect for you, every day, all day - 24/7. He doesn't go on holidays, he doesn't get to spend a lot of time with family and he does all the paperwork for the farm and other family businesses the old fashion way, the paper trail. Creating this website is to reduce his load of communication (sorry) as its too much to try and multitask often with mobile and machinery (when he has reception). The joy for him to often repeating himself in answering messages is getting to be too much. And with Facebook deleting the main functions that was ideal for this farm and all those scammers took its toll. One day you may meet him at the shed when you're picking up hay and he will give you the time for a chat and help you load. Or he could be floating around at the other farm paddock down the road, or in one of Farmer Geoff's paddocks out in the community helping him with raking, baling or packing hay for him. Thank you, Farmer Gene, for your amazing dedication for providing hay, a streamline service for ordering & picking it up and for the countless hours you spend to make it all happen. There would be no Matthey Farm if it wasn't for our fabulous ...... Farmer Gene

Farmer Steve is the brother of Farmer Gene and helps out regularly during the hay season (Oct-April). Farmer Steve is the main man who you see for Assisted Loading most mornings 7am to 9am. While Farmer Steve is very reliable and consistent, without his valuable assistance on the farm, there would be less hay produced and a longer duration of time to process all the hay. Farmer Steve is an asset to the Matthey Farm, thank you for all you do.

Farmer Geoff is a lovely neighbour from the Matthey Farm area. Farmer Geoff is always a busy vegemite with his own cereal crops, lucerne, hay, dun peas (pea straw from this) and faba beans. He also does a lot of share farming within our community. He has taught Farmer Gene everything he needs to know about producing quality hay and is a great mate to chat to on dreary days that can ruin hay/ crops. When it's GO time at the Matthey Farm (the rains are coming and hay needs to be baled and into the shed pronto), Farmer Geoff comes to the Matthey Farm, helping out with his tractor and baler any time of the day or night. Matthey Farm is very grateful for his wealth of knowledge, friendship and just an amazing person. In return, Matthey Farm helps sell some of his straw, Wimmera Rye Grass, Italian Rye Grass & Vetch Hay for Farmer Geoff, when it is in season. Thank you, Farmer Geoff, for all you do.

All New Customers must first become a "Site Member" prior to ordering and establish with Farmer Gene via "Live Chat" which hay you are eligible to purchase prior to any orders being made please. Orders, deliveries & pickup available 7 days per week from 7am - 7pm Deliveries are usually done when Farmer Gene gets a break in the hay traffic, around mid morning time. Please see the Delivery information in FAQ. Excluding days the Matthey Farm is closed every year: Good Friday (sometimes around Easter if its quite) Christmas/New Year period from 3pm 24th December and reopening 7am on 2nd January And if we ever get flooded out again - road is not accessible.

A Regular Customer is someone who has purchased Horse Quality Hay small square bales from the Matthey Farm since January 2024. Until there is a huge supply of hay again in our region, (won't be happening this season as its too dry), most of the hay l sell is for regular customers only and l don't like saying to individuals that they are not eligible to purchase any horse quality small square hay bales. It's heartbreaking. If only l had a bigger farm and heaps of hay to supply everyone, but that is not the case. It's mostly just me, Farmer Gene here all day every day. If you have Facebook, then head over to my group named "HAY Geelong and Surrounds" which will advertise local hay available during our season. In the off season (April to November) it will advertise hay from around Victoria. All of the farmers here are genuine and will accept cash but always weeding out the scammers, so be responsible. Here is the link; HAY Geelong & Surrounds VIC 🐴🐂🐏🐖🐪🐓🐇 | Facebook Watch this space when l do get to take on new and existing customers 👀

Farmer Gene appreciates and welcomes any and all feedback as he is constantly striving to provide the best products and services that he can! To leave your feedback please contact Farmer Gene via Live Chat. If you have a positive Feeback to share with the public, please do this on the Matthey Farm Facebook page.

Farmer Gene does not have a contact number due to the poor mobile reception in most parts of the farm. Taking orders in the one place (this website) is much easier then using a variety of apps. Often he does forget things, especially during his busy 20 hour days, so if its all in one place, you wont be forgotten. Coverage at Matthey Farm can be sporadic at best, even with primary carriers such as Telstra. Since there is no more 3G, so 5G often works well (depends on the weather and where you are on the farm). 4G is very poor in most areas of the farm.

No animals are permitted at Matthey Farm sorry due to possible contamination of the hay. Farmer Gene strives to provide the highest quality hay possible to his loyal customers, so all preventative measures are taken including the prevention of contamination by any and all external animals.

You must be Logged In to use Live Chat as when you receive a reply and you are offline, it will go to your email (can be in spam/ junk folder). Please only use Live Chat if you cannot find the answer to your query in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). Farmer Gene is a very busy Vegemite all day, every day on the farm. Live Chat is open 7am to 7pm daily - from 7pm to 7am, he will be offline, but you can still send messages. Only offline on the days the farm is closed (Good Friday to Easter & Xmas to New Year). *** Always check your spam/ junk folder in your emails as there might be correspondence from Farmer Gene if you are offline on this website *** Exceptions are Delivery and Feedback.

You will find it at the very start, above the first question, the magnifying glass. Also the FAQ has been split up into three different Categories; General All about Hay Ordering Questions

That's a great question and it will only be possible with your help, to get the answer in FAQ, First, try the search icon 💭at the very top of this section, Type in key words. If it isn't in here, please let me know via "Live Chat" anytime and l will respond during Trading hours of 7am to 7pm. *** Always check your spam/ junk folder in your emails as there might be correspondence from Farmer Gene if you are offline on this website ***

Truthfully, these sites control the user by making impacting changes when they want and not helping much with the little fish in the world wide web, like me. Facebook only wanted $60 per month to become a genuine page, no thank you. Also, the need to prevent scammers as there are heaps on Facebook and they weren't deleting any of these people. These scammers were using my name (Matthey Farm) and address to sell their fake hay. I have been contacted and even a visited (lost $3k) from those who had been scammed or from those who (thankfully) did some research first before paying via EFT. Consumer Affairs are involved as well as the police and banks. Since l only collect cash, hopefully the scammers will stop using Matthey Farm customers. Even running a competition was very challenging because of scammers stealing the Matthey Farm identity and getting my customers to join and then try to scam them out of money via message. Google Maps is gone too, to prevent scammers using Matthey Farm name and address and to prevent the odd person just rocking up to the farm without an appointment. Funny as l don't see it as a shop, more like a farm. So, all correspondence and orders will happen right here in my own safe website which l can control for a fraction of the cost of Facebook (Meta & AI).

Matthey Farm is a farm, not a shop that is open to the public. Three main reasons for this, firstly l am not wanting anyone to arrive at the Matthey Farm asking for hay and showing them different types of hay when they have no appointment. l am not always at the main farm to assist people this way and l honestly don't have the time. The address has been removed too, and l have almost finished consulting these rouge websites to delete all information regarding Matthey Farm as its mostly all false, old, misleading information and another source for scammers to use. Another reason is to prevent scammers using my business name and address to sell their fake hay & wood to hard working people being scammed out of their money. It's outrageous and l have had enough. l just wish that social media police work faster to apprehend these bad people. This is why l am no longer on Facebook, Instagram and Gumtree. Social Media is getting worse and too many venerable people don't do the research. l would like to keep my reputation intact please. Until there is a huge supply of hay again in our region, most of the hay l sell is for regular customers only and l don't like saying to individuals that they are not eligible to purchase any horse quality small square hay bales. It's heartbreaking. If only l had a bigger farm and heaps of hay to supply everyone, but that is not the case. It's mostly just me, Farmer Gene here all day every day.

All New Customers must first become a "Site Member" prior to ordering and establish with Farmer Gene via "Live Chat" which hay you are eligible to purchase prior to any orders being made please. A very good question: it is important to always Login when you are online here, so Farmer Gene knows who he is talking to and when talking on Live Chat with one of us offline, it will send the message via email (check spam). Also, it streamlines the process of your all orders. With your details, please make sure that you put both your First & Last Name so Farmer Gene knows whether you are a regular customer or not and you will be surprised how many Adele's, Andrea's, etc l have as customers. The Address is for your Billing/ Delivery details which is sent to you via 2 x confirmation emails after you have completed your order (Steps 1, 2 & 3). Your mobile number is used to send you a remind sms of your order in 24 hours' time and so l can send a sms to all customers an important group message if required. All your details is not used by Matthey Farm or any other third party. This website is quite secure. *** Always check your spam/ junk folder in your emails as there might be correspondence from Farmer Gene if you are offline on this website ***

1. To find out who this new site member is and which hay/ animals they have so l can assist better with ordering, to avoid confusion of a regular customer and what is an incomplete order. Basically, streamlining the whole initial process for all future orders. 2. Just having an email address without the first and last name will be given a certain time before it is deleted. Messages are sent prior with an expiry date. I like to know all who are members and maintain a genuine website. 3. To avoid Bots & Spam, confirming you are human. Bots and spammers can flood this site with spam emails, irrelevant forum posts, and fake members. These actions can damage the Matthey Farm reputation and make it harder for Farmer Gene to manage this site. So there are heaps of precautions to prevent this from ever happening, behind the scenes. If you ever suspect anything, please let Farmer Gene know via Live Chat, thank you. 4. And the same named customer. Did you know that l currently have 5 Megan's on this website? 15/12/24 So for the ordering purpose, last name on your membership is definitely needed.

*Matthey Farm is strictly by confirmed appointment only for all entry* Matthey Farm is located in the outskirts of Bannockburn, Victoria, Australia. Matthey Farm is not a shop, it is a farm that is usually managed by one person with different paddocks all over, so not always available for show ups. You will receive the directions after you have completed Step 1, Step 2 and Step 3 when you have Signed Up, consulted with Farmer Gene and placed your order - in your two confirmation emails when you order (check your spam/ junk email folder). Matthey Farm is closed Christmas to New Year and Good Friday to Easter Sunday - this will be advertised in the products section. During this period that is for Farmer Gene's Mental Health, just time out from customers and his mobile. Please respect his time out, there will be no products advertised, unable to make any appointments and he will not be available for Live Chat during this time. All notifications will be switched off so Farmer Gene can have a break from his consistently flashing mobile.

SIGN UP is for anyone NEW wanting to order and become a Site Member, this is done once per member. Add your name, phone, email and address which is used for ordering, saves typing it out. No details are given to any third party. Sign Up is used initially to create your account. Please have that conversation with Farmer Gene on Live Chat about your last purchase of which hay. Just take a little time to get to know this website and its features, monthly updates in FAQ. See Spam email for responses when you are offline from this website. LOG IN Every time you are on this website to order and to talk via Live Chat. No duplicate accounts, it's too confusing for both parties. You can alter your orders prior in your "My Orders" section of my account in the Log in area for all site members. LIVE CHAT Is from 7am to 7pm daily. When Farmer Gene replies to your message, and you are offline, the reply will be sent via email (check spam/ junk folder) for Site Members only. Visitors have to come online again to see the replied response.