Farmers’ plight worsens as drought grips south-west

The worst may still be to come, with fears that when the break finally happens, it’s going to be too late for any significant growth.

The plight of farmers has prompted calls for more government intervention and support, with fears that the conditions will send some farms out of business.

Industry leaders say the situation is as grim as they have ever seen. Many farmers are relying entirely on bought-in feed, and those supplies will soon run out.

They are also urging farmers to reach out for help before it gets too late and to check on their mates as concerns mount about the mental and emotional impact of the crisis.

Very hard decisions

United Dairyfarmers of Victoria president Bernie Free, who farms at Winslow, said farmers had already made hard decisions, but would have to dig even deeper to get through.

“Farmers are pretty depressed,” Bernie said.

“It’s getting harder and harder to find hay, and people are starting to make some really hard decisions that they don’t want to make about whether to keep cows or not.

“You can only keep feeding them for so long and not make any money out of it.

“It’s getting to the point where it’s getting very hard to get hay to feed them. Some animals will have to go.

“We’ve already made hard decisions, now it’s time for the really hard decisions.”

Bernie said he hoped Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan and new Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Julie Collins would visit the area to see the extent of the disaster.

Interest rate subsidies to help young farmers and a drought declaration from the Federal Government are among the support options being pushed by the UDV, along with a long-term strategy for pipelines to secure water for the region.

“We need the governments to get fair dinkum about helping us. There’s no use just hoping – you’ve got to put in plans that are going to work, but for farmers, it’s hard to plan when there are predictions of rain in 10 days, but then that rain disappears.

Bernie said he hadn’t experienced worse conditions.

“I’ve gone through a couple of tough times, but this is as bad as it has been, and it’s the quickest it has gone from being dry to being really difficult and into a drought,” he said.

“We’ve had other periods where it has been dry, but we’ve been able to buy hay; now we’re at the stage where we can’t buy hay, and you have to make really tough decisions.

“Everyone is hurting, but we’ve stopped spending. Ever dollar dairy farmers make turns into $6-$7 in the local community, so the flow-on impact is huge.”

“It’s draining on the mind as well as the body. It’s a physical and mental strain on farmers and their families.”

“It’s very grim”

Australian Dairy Farmers president and Pomborneit farmer Ben Bennett said political will was needed to help farmers get through.

“I realise we’re a long way from the West Gate Bridge, but it’s bleak, and we need to have open dialogue with governments, and we need the political will to make something happen,” Ben said.

“We provided significant evidence eight months ago and we’ve just heard crickets and things continue to go downhill.

“We’re all in his together, but it is very grim.”

Ben said the ADF would continue to push the story.

“It’s not just the south-west. Parts of Gippsland are unusually dry, and South Australia has been doing it tough for two years.

“It doesn’t seem to resonate in Canberra that only two per cent of Australia is suitable for low-cost dairy farming.

Ben said his farm was relying 100 per cent on bought-in feed and that market was getting tight.

He worries that there’s no quick fix in sight.

“There hasn’t been any soil moisture for quite a while, and it’s going to take so long to dig down,” he said.

“I spoke to one farmer whose family has records going back to 1900 and from January to now, this is the worst on record.”

Support available

WestVic Dairy chairman Brendan Rea urged farmers to reach out for help, saying the situation had been bad for a long time, but was hitting a crisis point.

Brendan has been on his Allansford farm for 45 years and says the drought is the worst he’s seen.

“My father Marcus is 90, and been a farmer all his life, and says it’s by far the worst he’s ever seen.”

Fodder reserves have been diluted, but Brendan has maintained herd numbers and opted to buy in feed.

“We’re buying four B-double loads of hay a week at $25,000 a load, plus we’re sourcing cotton seeds and almond hulls as well as a mix,” he said.

“The outflow of money to keep animals alive and fed well and producing well is enormous. We’re taking a significant financial hit in the short term, but thinking of the long-term and trying to maintain numbers.”

It’s also impacting on resources with two staff members being needed to feed cattle every day.

Brendan said he was concerned about morale and farmers’ mental health.

“It’s very difficult to look at another weather forecast and another feed bill and continue on with enthusiasm. It’s really tough.

“We are hoping some decent rain will turn things around, and we are looking at a better milk price this year which is one positive, and I encourage farmers to talk to people who can help before it gets too desperate.

“Banks, processors, nutritionists, agronomists and mental health support can help.

There is help out there so actively seek it.

“We are all concerned about how people will cope, but we’re all in this together. We’re not alone.

“We all need to look after each other. If you’re feeling down, go and talk to a mate or someone who can help.”

Brendan urged farmers to contact WestVic Dairy for advice and direction.

“We have changed the focus of programs into feed and water budgeting, how to make decisions, signposting to other services and resources and using Dairy Australia packages to help farmers,” he said.

“We realise it’s very critical at the moment, but I’ve always found that when you make a decision, even if it is forced on you, your path becomes clearer.”

Trying to stay optimistic

Terang farmer John Fahey said a lot of people were comparing it to the disastrous 1967 drought.

“Back then a lot of farmers were able to secure hay off irrigation country in the north, and it was rail freighted down here, and that got a lot of farmers through. The big problem here is that if it doesn’t rain properly soon, a lot of crops further north might be impacted, which would have a major impact down here.”

Mr Fahey said he was planning to cull numbers harder than usual.

“At this stage the prices have held up, which is good, but how long will that last?

He said the farm hadn’t had good rain since August and sourcing hay was becoming almost impossible within a reasonable freight area, with transport costs increasing.

“I’m trying desperately to stay optimistic. The forecast models are suggesting good rain, but unfortunately the hours of daylight will impact on the ability to grow grass.”

“At this stage it’s a day-to-day game. The unfortunate part of a drought is that it’s a real rollercoaster with your emotions.

“We’re not as bad as farms east of the Curdies River because we have underground water, but we have one paddock with no grass in it that we can’t use.”

John said he hoped the government could subsidise freight costs for people trucking in water, and he hoped farmers wouldn’t be subjected to price gouging for essential supplies.

“We’re not as bad as farms east of the Curdies River because we have underground water, but we have one paddock with no grass in it that we can’t use.

Under pressure

Koroit farmer and Food and Fibre Great South Coast chair Oonagh Kilpatrick said the broader community needed to know about the struggles facing local farmers.

“I want the wider public to know what is going on, and what could be the outcome if we don’t get rain in the next month,” Oonagh said.

“It’s very severe, especially for young farmers. We’re at a tipping point now, and I’m starting to hear of farmers really being under pressure.”

She said her farm was fortunate to have 35 hectares of irrigation and some silage to last for another four weeks, but was running out of fodder.

From bad to worse

Colac farmer and Dairy Farmers Victoria president Mark Billing said the difficult season had gone from bad to worse in May.

“In the last two weeks, we’ve gone from really tough to critical,” he said.

“We’ve got a whole industry in crisis in the south-west and unfortunately, it’s expanding and going into other areas of the state and into other states.”

“I was asked yesterday how do you keep going?

“As farmers, we’re pretty optimistic about the long-term future, but we’ve been saying for a while now that it’s going to have to rain soon.

“The worst thing with this drought is how long it has lasted.

“It’s also tough for service providers and all those trying to support farmers. They’re taking a lot of it onboard as well.”

Mark said most farming businesses in the south-west plan for drought and build a reserve, but two years of low rainfall had depleted reserves.

“Everything our cows are eating has been brought in,” he said.

“Fodder is hard to find and when you do find it, it’s very expensive.

“Assuming our perennial rye grasses survive, growth is going to be slow when we do get rain because we’re going into winter.

We’ve sold 50 cows to pay for feed.”

Mark said there were pockets in the south-west doing okay, but most farms had already pulled a lot of levers such as destocking and selling heifers “and have no more levers to pull”.

“Sadly, from what I’m hearing, unfortunately some farmers will be forced out of business.

“There’s only so much pressure a business and a family can bear.”

Mark said he had never experienced conditions this bad and it keeps getting worse.

“You never wake up in a drought — it’s just slow and insidious,” he said.

“A flood or a fire goes through and you can start to rebuild, but a drought like this, we all just want to get on with the rebuild, but we don’t know when that’s going to start.

“In the last two weeks, the rain we were hoping for didn’t eventuate. There was a lot of hope when you get the forecast, and it doesn’t look too bad, and then it doesn’t eventuate. It’s soul destroying.

“We all want to look after our animals, but it’s getting harder and harder.”

Dairy Farmers Victoria has been advocating to government for transport subsidies for farms having to transport water for stock, changing the Federal Government farmhouse allowance asset cap, for the Victorian Government to support local government to defer rates for 12 months and for food vouchers for struggling families.

“We really need to get the message out and need the community to understand and the politicians to sit up and take notice,” Mark said.

“This is not a normal drought for western Victoria.

“We’ve had droughts before, but we’re in new territory now. There are a lot of farmers really hurting.”