Farmers are turning to Rural Aid for essential hay and water provisions, and the surge in registrations also reflects a growing demand for mental health support.
Rural Aid chief executive John Warlters said the sharp rise in registrations showed how significantly the drought was impacting farming families and highlighted the urgent need for donations.
“The increase in farmers registering with us is a clear sign of how difficult conditions are. Every registration represents a family that is struggling to keep going in the face of extraordinary pressure,” Mr Warlters said.
“We need Australians to get behind our efforts and donate today. Their support is vital.”
Rural Aid provides practical and emotional assistance to primary producers, including hay and water deliveries, financial assistance, and counselling through its mental health and wellbeing program.
These services are helping families stay on the land and cope with the emotional strain of prolonged dry conditions.
Farmers are sacrificing their own wellbeing to save their stock. Kaye Wicker, a sheep and cereal crop farmer from Waitpinga, South Australia, described how desperate the situation had become.
“Some weeks I went without groceries, to buy feed for my lambs, so they could eat” she said.
“You just do what you have to. They come first.”
Ms Wicker said the support from Rural Aid made a significant difference.
“The support from Rural Aid … it just means so much,” she said.
“To be able to access a pre-paid visa or speak to a counsellor when there's a lot of pressure on you — really, they just mean everything. And to receive that generous gift of hay … you never forget how grateful you were to receive it.”
To donate or learn more, visit buyabale.ruralaid.org.au
