THE outpouring of support for farmers facing down drought has been “marvellous” – but it’s coming from the wrong place.
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That’s the view of one of the region’s farmers, who says he hasn’t seen his property looking so bad in his 37 years there.
Barry Pratten said this drought was “desperate … a very rare occurrence” and while farming families were thankful for community aid, “the government are sitting on their hands, full stop”.
Mr Pratten said it was so dry he had swathes of trees dying on his place at Piallamore, near Tamworth.
“I’ve never seen it like this … I’ve never seen my country so bare,” he said.
It was in December the situation “really started going backwards”.
By this time in an average year, he said, he would have had about 330ml of rain. This year he’d had only a bit over 70ml.
He sold all his calves in late March and early April “at half last year’s prices” and about three months earlier than usual.
“But if I hadn't done it then, I’d be getting less now; plus I’d have cows going down everywhere … trying to feed a calf and keep themselves alive, too,” he said.
“So they went as little calves, as we’ve been trying to save our breeding stock.”
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After selling or agisting half of his mob, “we’re trying to keep alive and maintain [the remaining] 90 if we can”.
With son-in-law Peter, he spends four hours a day feeding hay, which was “hard to find … and it’s very expensive, of course, but you’ve got no choice”.
‘Trying to keep people going’
He’s had some assistance from Aussie Helpers, and said other charities such as Rural Aid were “doing a marvellous job trying to keep people going”.
“I can’t speak highly enough of them,” he said.
“What they’re doing may not get us out of trouble, but it gives us more time for something to happen.”
Ideally, that “something” was rain, but people needed freight subsidies – now.
“The government are sitting on their hands, full stop.
“The things the government are offering the farmer are too late, too little and not doing any good to help anyone.
“To offer people low-interest loans is a great thing, but they’re only offering something they can get back.
“The people on the land – I’m not saying everyone’s the same but everyone I talk to – they don’t want another loan, they want a hand.
“It’s desperate.”