Agriculture
26 May, 2025
Dry hits farmers not on Govt’s new drought list
LODDON Shire wants to have talks with the State Government after being left out of an expanded drought-declared zone last week. Mayor Dan Straub said farmers in southern districts of the shire had been hardest hit as the summer dry extended into...
LODDON Shire wants to have talks with the State Government after being left out of an expanded drought-declared zone last week.
Mayor Dan Straub said farmers in southern districts of the shire had been hardest hit as the summer dry extended into autumn and decent rains were not forecast until June or July.
He said reports had been received of farmers across the shire selling livestock to pay for feed as ground cover and pasture struggled in dry conditions.
The Government added 13 more municipalities to its drought list, including Northern Grampians.
Cr Straub said he was seeking clarification on Loddon’s omission.
He said he also wanted to determine whether the absence of a full weather station in the Loddon Shire continued to mean statistics used in determining drought conditions were from the Bendigo station.
“Without localised statistics and forecasting, we could be shafted and our farmers miss out on the assistance they need in a drought,” Cr Straub said.
According to Cr Straub, the price of feed had “gone through the roof.
Some farmers are paying up to $15,000 for a B-double load of grain to top up dwindling on-farm reserves of grain and hay.
The Government said it was “continuing to back farmers impacted by drought and dry conditions, with expanded support to deliver on-farm infrastructure grants and increase resilience into the future”.
Agriculture Minister Ros Spence said $15.9 million had been added to the drought support package.
“The on-farm drought infrastructure Grant program has already supported more than 1500 farmers in south-west Victoria and will be extended to farmers in the new and existing local government areas,” Ms Spence said last Friday.
“This drought package will support small businesses in impacted LGAs through the appointment of a small business financial counsellor.
“Acknowledging the impacts of the dry conditions across Victoria on farmer mental health, a new program will be made available state wide to help communities come together and support farmers under stress.
“The Government will extend its partnership with the National Centre for Farmer Health by investing $900,000 through the Victorian Budget 2025/26 to deliver ongoing services and resources to the farming community.
:Agriculture Victoria’s farm business technical and decision-making support will also be made available state wide, supporting farmers to manage the impacts of increasingly difficult seasonal conditions.”
Ms Spence said Agriculture Victoria would continue to monitor conditions in the critical period leading up to spring,
“I’ve heard directly from farmers about the impact drought conditions are having on our communities – we’re continuing to back them with the support they need to tackle the challenging dry conditions across the state,” she said