Severe drought threat already costing Victorian farmers hundreds of thousands

Victorian farmers are staring down the barrel of a summer drought, with many forced to take expensive measures to safeguard their farms.

Drought is threatening to cause serious problems for Victorian farmers over summer. Picture: Supplied

Victorian farmers are facing serious drought, with some already forking out hundreds of thousands of dollars to feed their animals, and not enough rain is predicted in spring to see them through the summer.

As the state prepares to sizzle through a scorching spring, the risk of bushfire has increased, and dry conditions are threatening farming operations in the southwest and northwestern parts of the state, with farmers already feeling the strain.

Harrow sheep farmers Michael and Jane Craig say they’ve already had to spend more than $400,000 to bring in extra feed for their animals due to the lack of rain in recent months. They warned it was a cost they “could only endure for one year out of 20.”

“Mother Nature occasionally likes to remind us who’s in charge,” Mr Craig said.

“We’ve had the lowest rainfall for Autumn and Winter on record, and if we don’t get enough rain, then we don’t have enough feed in Spring, then that will impact lambing.”

“We’ve been hit especially hard by the trifecta. Wool prices have dropped, last spring meat prices dropped, and now we have interest rates that have doubled.”

If dry conditions continue, it will impact livestock in the state's South West. Picture: Supplied

The Bureau of Meteorology last month issued its long-term Spring forecast declaring, “Victoria has an increased chance of warmer than usual spring temperatures”.

But it did bring some good news, stating:

“Most of Victoria is likely to have rainfall within the typical range for spring. This follows several very dry months in the west of the state”

However, farmers say forecasts can change, and if they don’t receive enough rain, it will hit communities hard.

Fifth-generation farmer Brett Hosking, 51, from the Mallee, said farmers are pinning their hopes on forecast rain.

“The crops are very vulnerable at the moment,” he said.

“Our season started out promising. We got the crops out of the ground on time, so our crops were looking average to above average. But in the last couple of months, we’ve hit a drywall.

“We’ve had a lot of wind and no rain, to speak, and the positivity is coming out of the crop.”

He said if no rain came soon, they would have to bail the crops into hay rather than collect the grain to minimise financial losses.

“We are just hoping and praying it rains,” he said.

Low rainfall records in April 2024. Source BoM

Farmers also told the Herald Sun that they were being hit by a “trifecta” of bad conditions with the big dry, rising interest rates, and commercial banks tightening how much they are willing to lend to farmers in need.

Australian Dairy Farmers president Ben Bennett said the cost of fodder to support livestock was also skyrocketing.

“Vetch delivered to farm could be approaching just short of $500 a tonne, which was $300 last year,” he said.

“It’s very nervous times. People are really nervous. Will money even be able to buy feed in the future? The biggest issue will be transport, as it looks like they will have to get it out of New South Wales because the hay yields could be down as much as 75 per cent.”

He warned the dry would impact the state’s food supply.

Michael and Jane Craig have had to spend more than $400,000 to bring in extra feed for their sheep. Picture: Supplied

“A lot of people think their food just comes off the shelf at the store, but we actually need to have a conversation about food security moving forward,” he warned.

Victorian Farmers Federation president Emma Germano said the state government should offer farmers more assistance to prepare for dry conditions in the long term.

“It’s not a catastrophic level at this point,” she told the Herald Sun.

“But we are concerned that if it doesn’t turn out to be a wet season, we could end up having a few dry seasons, and we don’t know what it will look like in 3-4 years.

“Just handing out money can be very problematic but we want to see what can be done about helping farmers prepare for the future.”

She recommended drought assistance that would help transition farm infrastructure to handle future droughts and include tax breaks for primary producers.

Victorian Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence toured the southwestern region in early September and urged struggling farmers to seek out lifelines in place.

“There is support available to farmers through the Rural Financial Counselling Service which provides free and confidential assistance to people in financial hardship,” she said.

“It is important to reach out early, don’t be afraid to pick up the phone.”

Originally published as Severe drought threat already costing Victorian farmers hundreds of thousands