Commonwealth Games star Jessica Stenson’s sister and brother-in-law battles record-breaking drought
Champion marathon runner Jessica Stenson backs drought fundraiser as her sister’s mid-north farm faces worst conditions in 100 years.
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Black Rock, in the Mid North, has become a second home for Commonwealth Games gold medallist Jessica Stenson.
Located around 15km from Ororoo, it’s where sister Abbie and brother-in-law Sam Kuerschner, both 36, and their four children live on their 4000ha farm.
“I’ve had many opportunities to enjoy holidays and weekends in the Mid North,” the Naracoorte-born Olympic marathon runner said.
The Kuerschner family have called the hamlet home for many generations, growing crops and raising livestock on the red dirt.
Like many other farming families, they’ve been hit hard by the drought, with the last two years being “close to the worst on record”.
“We’ve been farming here for 150 years. We understand that there’s good years and bad years,” Mr Kuerschner said.
“However, this year – and the records show it – is as bad as it’s been for 100 years.”
So far this year, the farm has received just 40mm – well below the yearly average of 320mm.
While some of their crops have started germinating, there’s hardly any grass in their paddocks – a big concern as they prepare for the imminent lambing season.
“We’re spending a fortune on feed at the moment. It’s unsustainable at the rate its going,” Mr Kuerschner said.
“If we get good rain in the next month, then we’ll be out of trouble. But if we don’t get rain in the next month, then we’re really staring down the barrel.”
The couple are fortunate to have other incomes, with Ms Kuerschner a nurse and her husband a part-time shearer.
Mr Kuerschner said not knowing when the drought was going to end had been particularly tough, with farmers having no choice but to “pull our socks up and just get on with it”.
“It’s been really hard and stressful,” he said.
“You do worry about when it’s going to end and how much longer you’re going to have to put up with it for.”
As the drought continues to cause devastation across many parts of South Australia, Stenson said it was important to support struggling regional communities.
Next month, she will help raise vital funds for farmers doing it tough as the keynote speaker at the inaugural Drought Breaker Lunch at the Adelaide Showground.
Hosted by the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of SA, in partnership with Rural Aid and Rural Business Support, all funds raised will provide critical services, including mental health support, financial counselling, food and fuel vouchers, and long-term wellbeing programs.
“Witnessing the resilience and hard work ethic demonstrated by these communities has helped to shape my perspective, and I’m determined to support them in any way that I can,” the 37-year-old mother of two said.
The inaugural Drought Breaker Lunch will be held on Friday, July 18.
Green tinge masks the sad reality
By this time of year, Bill Gebhardt’s paddocks near Burra should have soaked up more than 200mm of rain.
Instead, they’ve received just 30mm – barely enough to break the record-dry conditions being experienced in the drought that has ravaged South Australia.
While recent rain has dusted the red earth creating patches of green, the Goyder Council Mayor said there was still a long road ahead as farmers continued to battle through “one of the toughest years” in history.
“This drought is a long way from over,” he said. “We’ve had such little rain that it’s just given a green tinge.
“We’ve got a bit of cold weather, stock feed is at an all-time low, and hay in the state … there’s just nothing.
“We won’t get any grain income until probably March next year by the time we harvest and sell the grain.”
Burra born and raised, Mr Gebhardt’s family have run Merinos and crossbred sheep at Mount Bryan for six generations.
They also grow wheat, barley, canola and lentils, and export hay to Japan, United Arab Emirates, China and Vietnam.
Like many others, Mr Gebhardt has been forced to reduce stock, saying it would be a long time before he could build numbers back up again.
“We’ve just lost so many to the drought,” he said.
“It’s going to take a long while to get our breeding flock back.
“We also have a little bit of debt. We’ve borrowed money to keep going, we’ve borrowed money to sow our crops.”
Mr Gebhardt said the main crops around the historic mining town were wheat, barley and hay, with a “fairly big mix” of both livestock and cropping throughout the wider region.
He was hopeful for more rain, particularly in the lead-up to Christmas.
“If we can get to Christmas with a good spring and no rain during harvest, it will be all right,” Mr Gebhardt said.
For now, his focus remains on supporting the farming community, particularly the young farmers who represent the future of the region.
“This has been so tough, and they’re the next generation, so we’ve got to make sure we guide them through,” Mr Gebhardt said.
“They’re all putting in really hard yards and long hours on low incomes, and they’re all in it together and holding each other up.”
While there’s always risks involved in agriculture, Mr Gebhardt said the industry was strong and would rebuild – as it always had.
“We’ll get there, there’s no question. We just have to rebuild – again,” he said.
“But it’s just a really tough road ahead for the next 12 months.
“However, there is light at the end of the road.”
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