Farmer Peta Willmott wants everyone to understand: ‘Drought doesn’t go away when it rains’

Rural communities are in a drought-fuelled downward spiral confronting “fears all farmers have”.

The soil on Peta Willmott’s Koongawa property is dry and cracking in places it never has before, causing “fears all farmers have”.

Water from late rains the year prior would normally keep the ground moist, Mrs Willmott said, but that’s a far cry from the “extreme rainfall deficit” that South Australian farmers have been managing.

Mrs Willmott, 54, runs a 4500 hectare grain farm in Koongawa, in the northern Eyre Peninsula between Kimba and Wudinna.

Grain farmer Peta Willmott on her Koongawa property between Kimba and Wudinna, struggling with dry soil as the drought continues. Picture: Kerri Cliff

She was one of the farmers from around the state The Advertiser and Sunday Mail tracked down named Peter (or Peta) for a campaign to raise awareness of one of the harshest droughts in SA’s history. It’s the attention of the Peter who runs the state – Premier Peter Malinauskas – they want the most.

The For Pete’s Sake campaign is calling on the government to substantially increase the $18m drought support package announced in November, among other measures including relief from the emergency services levy and vehicle registration fees.

Moving from Victoria 30 years ago, Mrs Willmott first started farming in SA in 2001 and said the risks farmers needed to take battling increases in input costs were far greater than two decades ago.

“Back then, we could really cut it (input costs) down a lot,” Mrs Willmott said.

“But the difference these days is huge. We are under enormous financial stress.

“If it continues long term people can’t financially survive, you get a mass exodus out of town, rural communities diminish, people don’t want to work and come out here, these are fears all farmers have.”

Mrs Willmott said there was a common misunderstanding around droughts.

Moving from Victoria 30 years ago, Mrs Willmott first started farming in SA in 2001 and said the risks farmers needed to take battling increases in input costs were far greater than two decades ago. Picture: Kerri Cliff

“The impact of this drought doesn’t go away when it rains,” she said.

“Everyone tends to forget the impact of droughts when a big rain happens.

“But it’s a prolonged depression that doesn’t end until the next harvest and probably the next two after that.”

Mrs Willmott said she was “thankful” that the state government had provided some support for farmers with the $18m drought support package, but that it was still a “very small amount”.

“They need to stop any red tape and get the processing time down for the support package, and put some more people in to help so that producers can move forward,” she said.

“I think the government could’ve been a lot more vocal with their support, I would’ve loved to see (Premier) Peter standing up the front and saying ‘we acknowledge what you’re going through’.”

Primary Industries Minister Clare Scriven acknowledged “first of all that farmers are doing it tough”.

“The government is also actively preparing for additional assistance,” she said, adding within the $18m was $5.4m for “additional health and wellbeing support”.