Frost comes at a cost as dire season worsens for Mallee region farmers

Crops are turning brown and sheep feed has exhausted as SA farmers continue to feel the sting of a horror season.

The severe frost events this week in agricultural areas were yet another blow for farmers already dealing with a historically dry start to the year.

Adelaide recorded its coldest September morning ever on Tuesday with South Australia freezing through subzero temperatures across the state.

The lack of mid-year rain with none on the horizon has put growers and sheep farmers in “unknown territory”, according to Mallee farmer David Kerr.

Mr Kerr, who has been farming at Karoonda for over 60 years said the current season was the “worst he’s ever seen”.

He said he had only recorded 130mm of rain with more than 40mm of that rain falling in the non-growing season in January.

The severe frost events this week in agricultural areas was yet another blow for farmers already dealing with a historically dry start to the year. Picture: Mallee Sustainable Farming

Daniel Marrett, a crop farmer on his property at Peake in May. He said dry weather was causing issues for supplies of feed and crops Picture: Kelly Barnes

“We’ve got a battle on our hands … the way it is going we may not even take the harvester out of the shed.”

Mr Kerr said stable sheep prices was a “saving grace” but even that was a short-term positive, with little feed around likely to play havoc with livestock operations.

He said farmers were being forced to source hay from interstate, but even that was hard-going with hay-growing regions also dry.

He said even a decent rain event now could be too late to salvage much out of the season for cereal farmers, and with no feed for sheep heading into summer, farmers were at a crossroads.

“I have two sons who farm, when they were younger they left the farm to get trades before coming back … they might have to leave the farm and go back to their old jobs, who knows?”

The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting possible showers for Karoonda on Saturday, but that will bring little joy for farmers with only up to 1mm tipped.

According to the BOM, the next chance of rain in the region will be on Tuesday, September 26, with a 70 per cent chance of up to 6mm of rain.

Bureau of Meteorology spokesman climatologist Dr Simon Grainger told The Advertiser the February to April rainfall for most of southeast South Australia was in serious deficiency; meaning it was in the lowest 10 per cent of all years since 1900.

Earlier this year, fellow Mallee farmer Daniel Marrett warned of “dire” situation as farmers resorted to source hay from interstate.

“Farmers have exhausted feed options in their paddocks very quickly,” he said.

“If we don’t get rain soon, we are screwed.”

Back in May, Mr Marrett said all his hay reserves – untouched for two years – were snapped up and sold off a few weeks ago, as farmers desperately tried to feed stock.

Mr Marrett said getting fodder from interstate was not a practical solution as it posed an extra cost farmers could not absorb.

Rural Aid Farmer, Richie Paynter’s next to the tractor on his property in Quorn in South Australia. . Picture: Ben Clark

Farmer Richie Paynter, aged in his mid 60s, believes the unpredictable weather conditions has affected the growth of produce on his Quorn farm, about 39kms northeast of Port Augusta.

Mr Paynter said the lack of rain significantly impacted his wheat crop, sheep and cattle – with only about 150mm of rain hitting the region this year, compared to the expected 300 to 400 mm.

“We never got any frost or bad cold here, but we’re just badly lacking rain,” Mr Paynter said.

“We had less than half the average last year, and it’s looking the same this year.”

“(Many) farmers up in the Mid North, are not going to reap anything. It totally failed.”

Mr Paynter believes he has lost “tens of thousands of dollars” worth of revenue, from the lack of crops growth in this season and the last.

“We’ve made nothing, we’ve made a big loss on them.”

“A lot of places (that) buy hay, well they’re going to reap nothing. They’ve got no ground hay either, and they are looking to buy hay instead of selling it.

“The last three to four summers have actually been cooler than normal, from what he got up here, but it’s just the last of rainfall.”

Originally published as Frost comes at a cost as dire season worsens for Mallee region farmers