Adelaide Plains farmer Peter Kemp makes desperate drought relief plea to South Australian government
This Adelaide Plains farmer, who says he’s lost “bloody millions” to drought already, has one simple, desperate request for the Premier.
Farming in South Australia is “on death row” and has reached a potentially life-threatening state with soil still dry and feed getting low, an Adelaide Plains farmer says.
Peter Kemp, 77, is of the third generation of his family to work his 1200 hectare grain and livestock property at Roseworthy.
He says he has “never known it so dry” after recording just 127mm of rain last year, compared to a long-term average of 440mm.
“We’ve all got to eat, all the animals have got to eat,” he said.
“It’s incredible, the ground is all cracked and dry, you won’t be finding any subsoil moisture here.
“If we get another year like the last, oh s**t, God knows it won’t be good, I dread that thought.”
The Advertiser and Sunday Mail have tracked down farmers named Peter around the state for the campaign to raise awareness of one of the harshest droughts in SA’s history.
It’s the attention of the Peter who runs the state – Premier Peter Malinauskas – they want the most. The For Pete’s Sake campaign is calling on the government to substantially increase the $18m drought support package announced in November
Mr Kemp said the drought had already cost him “bloody millions”, and he had concerns for just how long it’ll take to financially recoup.
“It really has cost us bloody millions,” he said.
“We usually reap four tons a hectare (about $300-$350 per ton of wheat), and some of our crops last year we got two or three, some we never even reaped.
“It will take years to get that sort of money back, and they’ll want to be good ones at that because of the cost to farm it all in the first place.”
Farmers “are in dire straits”, Mr Kemp said, and there were lots of “businesses needing to shut their doors” because there was just “not enough money being shared around” in regional communities.
Mr Kemp said the state government’s response to the drought had been “terrible”, and there had been no true consultation with farmers to find out what would really help them.
“Farmers are on death row, honestly,” he said.
“In my perception, I’m very, very frightened about how we’re going.”
Mr Kemp holds some “very serious concerns” about what will happen to the next generation of farmers, especially when his own son has worked so hard over the years to help keep the farm afloat.
“Twenty-one years ago, I lost my oldest boy in a motorcycle accident,” Mr Kemp said.
“My younger boy, he had to jump up and be a man overnight because we had a lot of debt and he has worked his pure arse off.
“But now, he’s just that upset with everything; he needs someone to come and hear his story, someone to come and talk to him.
“Come and talk to us, just talk to people, Premier.”
Primary Industries Minister Clare Scriven – on behalf of the Premier – said she regularly met with farmers across the state and held a series of Country Cabinets across the state, including in Two Wells and Mallala.
“To inform our ongoing response to the drought, the State Government has conducted eight Drought Roundtables in locations including the South East, Mid North, Murraylands, Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, Barossa Valley, and the Fleurieu Peninsula,” she said.
“We also established a Drought Advisory Group with representatives from across agricultural sectors, which has met nine times.”
More Coverage
Originally published as Adelaide Plains farmer Peter Kemp makes desperate drought relief plea to South Australian government
Join the conversation
Woman in unit death mystery
The woman who died inside a Christie Downs unit has been identified.
Read more
Phone drop likely triggered tragic lake incident
The son of a 76-year-old woman who died in hospital after being pulled from a lake has detailed the sad circumstances around her death.
Read more