Country Valley Farm ‘Adopt a Cow’ appeal” brightens future
THE overwhelming and heartwarming response to Country Valley Farm’s ‘Adopt a Cow’ appeal has allowed the beloved Picton farm to think of a future beyond drought hardship.
Macarthur
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THE overwhelming and heartwarming response to Country Valley Farm’s ‘Adopt a Cow’ appeal has allowed the beloved Picton farm to think of a future beyond drought hardship.
Seventh-generation farmer John Fairley said the farm’s future was beginning to brighten.
“It has turned right around,” he said.
“We have enough feed to get through to September; I just hope it rains by then. If it doesn’t, we will be struggling.
“It has been so heartwarming. People question where society is going but it has really let me know everything is fine.”
Mr Fairley made an impassioned social media plea on May 7 of the hardship his dairying family was suffering.
The Facebook post was shared more than 4300 times and donations flooded in from across the country.
The appeal invited the community to ‘Adopt a Cow,’ for $135, which included receiving a picture of their adopted cow and a chance to visit the farm.
With 130 cows on the dairy farm, Mr Fairley said he needed $1350 per cow to feed them until the end of September.
Mr Fairley previously told the Macarthur Chronicle he was reluctant to close the dairy down.
“One of our options we put on the table to get through the drought was to shut the dairy down. I just can’t do it.”
But now he can’t thank people enough for their support to enable Country Valley to get through the tough times.
“The range of people who have wanted to donate — from little kids wanting to put in their pocket money, to students and the unemployed donating $10 a month, to pensioners right through to corporates — it has been absolutely amazing,” Mr Fairley said.
The exceptional community support, rallied by C91.3FM breakfast hosts Josh Webster and Ally Redondo, has helped change the fortunes of the Picton dairy farm.
The C91.3FM breakfast program and listeners have adopted three “community cows,’ appropriately named Moo-riah Cow-rey, Josh and Ally, to help assist the Fairley family battle the drought.
Mr Webster and Ms Redondo said it was a special, heartfelt response from the Macarthur region.
Sorry Mariah if you’ve ‘herd’ the news. We’re so thankful to our C91.3 listeners and all of our Macarthur locals who’ve helped to save each of the 130 ‘Moo-riahs’ at Country Valley Dairy,” they said.
IN OTHER NEWS:
To adopt a cow and support Country Valley, people can deposit the $135 to the Country Valley bank account.
Details: JE and SA Fairley. BSB: 082-883. Account number: 61-663-5557.
Please include your name and contact details so Country Valley can email a picture of your new family member.