Farms dig deep to pay for feed

By Elizabeth Lillis
CARDINIA Shire farmers are reaching deep into their pockets in a bid to feed their animals in the drought conditions, while waiting on imminent news on the area’s eligibility for exceptional circumstances funding.
Farmers have been forced to buy in feed, both grains and hay to keep feeding their stock.
Cardinia Victorian Farmers Federation president David Young said most farmers in the southern area of the shire were now having to buy in feed.
“Most are now purchasing all their feed, both hay and silage,” Mr Young said.
One farmer told the Gazette he had already spent more than $40,000 on feed.
Another farmer, from Catani, said he had bought more than 10 truckloads of feed hay in the past two months to feed his dairy cattle. He said the cost of feed had also increased significantly compared to previous years.
“I’m getting my hay from the north of the state as it can be hard to get locally,” he said.
Mr Young said the western parts of the shire were still quite dry and rain falls in the east late last week were scattered around the Lang Lang area,” he said.
“Even farmers with the recent rainfall will be feeding their animals for three to four weeks to allow grasses to get ahead of the cows,” he said.
He said followup rain would be needed within 10 days in areas that had recorded decent falls to enable grasses to grow.
Cardinia is one of only six shires in Victoria not do be declared eligible for exceptional circumstances funding.
A spokesperson for the Department of Primary Industries said Cardinia Shire Council had not yet made a formal exceptional circumstances claim, but a response to the initial research process, covering the City of Casey’s rural areas and Cardinia shire on the area’s eligibility was due “very shortly”.
Mr Young said he was expecting an announcement in the next couple of days on whether the State Government would support a claim.
“I’m hoping it will be positive news,” Mr Young said.
The State Agriculture Minister Joe Helper has to sign off any claims before they can be forwarded to the Federal Government.
Mr Young said efforts would be made to gather further material to justify eligibility in April in case the request for assistance was rejected.
Part of the exceptional circumstances criteria is based an area having two failed seasons.
“By this stage we would have had two failed seasons, autumn and spring,” he said.