How to help Australian farmers struggling with drought conditions

AUSSIES are helping to buy food and other necessities for farmers struggling to feed their animals, as a horror drought takes hold.

JOHN Farnham and Guy Sebastian will headline a charity concert to help bail out drought-stricken farmers.

The benefict concert, named Hay Mate: Buy a Bale — A Concert For The Farmers, will be held at Scully Park in Tamworth on October 27.

The event is organised by Farnham’s manager Glenn Wheatley and supported by news.com.au sister publication The Sunday Telegraph. All money will go to Rural Aid, which provides support to farmers hit by drought.

Meanwhile, the Today show will broadcast its Farm Aid Telethon on Monday, August 20 from 5.30am to raise money for drought-affected farmers.

John Farnham. Picture: Supplied

Aussies everywhere are responding to calls to help farmers struggling to cope with devastating drought conditions.

In states like New South Wales, about 99 per cent of farmers are dealing with drought conditions and are not producing enough food to feed their animals.

Some farmers are spending about $7500 to get one trailer of hay to help fed their animals.

But generous Australians are supporting fundraising campaigns to help farmers pay for the massive cost of keeping their animals alive.

Sydney schoolboy Jack Berne has already raised more than $20,000 through his Fiver for a Farmer initiative and many other Australians are also giving generously through many other charities.

Singer Shannon Noll has also called for Aussies to “get off their bums” and help the farmers.

Farmers have been force to watch cattle die. Picture: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Many charities have set up fundraising efforts for drought-stricken farmers, here are some of them:

• Help buy hay, water, groceries and diesel through Buy a Bale

• Sponsor food hampers, care packs, store vouchers and feed through Drought Angels

• Funds from Australian Red Cross’s Disaster Relief and Recovery Appeal will be distributed where they are needed most

• Go to Frontiers Service for information on how you can help the drought crisis

• Money given to Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal will go to projects like repairing local meeting places, hosting events for farms, skill development to generate alternative income, mental health workers and paying for excursions and books so school kids don’t miss out

• Donations to Aussie Helpers help farmers with equipment, food and emotional support

• People can donate feed, non-perishable goods and money to the Lions Club’s Need for Feed

The Jerry family farm 'Marlborough', 40km outside Coonabarabran. Picture: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

Drought ravaged NSW near Tamworth. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Defence Minister Marise Payne has also offered the assistance of the Australian Defence Force as the drought crisis worsens in Queensland and NSW, suggesting the ADF could help drought-stricken farmers by transporting fodder by truck or air-dropping it into remote places.

RELATED: Shoppers could soon feel the impacts of horror drought

RELATED: PETA slammed over controversial article

Farmers across the country are struggling to feed their animals in the extremely dry conditions, with many fearing the loss of important cattle blood lines, while others have been force to feed sheep onions, kill them, or simply watch them die.

Shocking images were taken at a property at Goolhi in NSW. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

An aerial image of the cattle feeding operation on the Toorawandi property owned by Coonabrabran farmer Ambrose Doolan and his wife Lisa. Picture: Brook Mitchell/Getty

Haunting aerial images of the drought have emerged from photographers David Gray and Brock Mitchell who have travelled through some of the worst affected parts of NSW documenting the breadth of the struggles.