Drought

After a tense wait, rain has finally fallen but farmers are hoping this is just the beginning of a solid wet season. Joyces Creek farmer Adam Sewell, who also featured on the [Tarrangower Times] cover a few months ago, welcomed water in his dam but said more was needed. Mr Sewell confessed to a few tears of relief when the rain persisted over the King’s Birthday Weekend, after weeks of false starts.

More than 200 tonnes of donated hay will be delivered to farmers on the Fleurieu Peninsula this long weekend ... Charitable organisation Need for Feed is working with local Lions Clubs in Goolwa, Victor Harbor and Port Elliot to deliver about 10 truckloads of hay to 16 registered primary producers across the Fleurieu on Monday 9 June.

Among all the animals Pam and Peter Rollinson might have expected to find back on the farm after a recent visit to Bali, a wombat was a very long way down the list ... a very parched wombat had had its thirst assuaged when Peter turned on the garden hose.

The Towong Shire Council intends to keep up its opposition to the state’s Emergency Services Volunteer Fund Levy despite the Victorian government’s announcement last Friday of a 12-month pause on the tax for farmers. At its meeting on May 28th, councillors unanimously opposed the levy, which was due to take effect from 1 July, 2025.

Drought-hit South East farmers need “immediate help” from government-funded relief packages, rather than money for future mitigation measures … That is the view of independent member of the Legislative Council of South Australia Sarah Game, who says her assessment of the state government’s drought-relief packages has been – in part – informed by her communication with South East farmers.

Emma Kealy, Shadow Minister for Agriculture. The Allan Labor Government's drought announcement fails to deliver the immediate support farmers have been calling for and desperately need. While doubling drought resilience infrastructure grants and deferring the emergency services tax on agricultural land for a year may sound helpful, it does little to provide immediate support for farmers who are at breaking point.

Michelle Daw. Grain Producers South Australia says new federal drought support measures will offer limited immediate relief to grain producers facing severe financial pressure across SA.

In a year when the eastern states have either been drowning under floods or gasping through drought, and here in the west half the state has been left staring at a dry horizon, it seemed timely to stop watching the skies and start digging into the past ... What I aim to do is cut through the rising noise between the climate catastrophists shouting Armageddon and the hardened sceptics waving it all away, versus the climate fatalists like me—convinced that, whatever humans do, nature already has the final say—and put some facts on the table.

Western Sydney University researchers have discovered that drought affected wheat plants are able to call on eco-friendly soil bacteria to survive, helping keep crops healthy, boost yields, and provide pathways to develop extreme weather resistant crops.

The Nationals’ Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland, will be at the Euroa Cattle Sale next Wednesday alongside mental health professionals to offer free and confidential support to any farmers doing it tough. Ms Cleeland said anybody is welcome to attend, regardless of whether they are participating in the sale or not – even if they just wanted to stop by for a cup of tea and a chat with friendly faces.

Rachel Hagan. Despite recent weather bringing a small amount of some much-needed rain, Nharangga fire practitioner Peter Turner says it's not just water the trees on Yorke Peninsula need to thrive. Two years of drought has had a huge effect on YP's trees, with many already dead and the rest struggling to stay alive with limited water.

This is the Hansard version of a speech delivered in the Upper House by shadow minister for Regional South Australia, Nicola Centofanti, in which she read a letter from Abby Miller of Naracoorte to the South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, concerning the drought situation affecting farmers in the region.

“This is an emergency”. That is the urgent message from Naracoorte Lucindale mayor Patrick Ross, who has issued a heartfelt appeal to the government for immediate support for farmers grappling with severe drought in the area.

Hundreds of CFA volunteers have made the difficult decision to stand down in protest against the Victorian Government's new Emergency Services Levy, passed during a late-night parliamentary session last Thursday.

Jenny Dwyer. Broaden your understanding of Cultural Burns to reduce exotic weed, promote native ground cover and increase drought tolerance.

Farmers in North East Victoria have once again been left behind, with the Allan Labor Government’s latest drought funding announcement excluding our region entirely. The $15.9 million package announced today offers only token support, capped at $5000 per grant, and with strict conditions that prevent farmers from using it for the most basic and urgent needs like purchasing feed and water.