GordonMoyes.com

Most cereal farmers have not sold grain for two years. They have to borrow again, to sow this year’s crop. But banks are nervous, with all the media attention to ‘climate change’, and are refusing farmers advances to sow this year’s crops. This leaves farmers in a dilemma – no opportunity to try again for a crop. Where does the income come from? How ever are farmers to get on top? Some see no way forward, and I’m sure you can access rural suicide rates. On a personal note, we have been to ‘rock bottom’ and have been prostrate on the floor in utter desperation. Without our faith, that option could have seemed attractive.

This year, the costs of fertilizer, herbicides and fuel are prohibitive. We cannot afford to spray our ground; therefore, weeds and loss of moisture could become a serious issue. The price of wheat is at an all-time high of $ 450/tonne. Yet the average family farmer on a dry land mixed farm has none to sell, either because he did not harvest any last year, or made it into hay, or the grain is needed for next season’s seed, or stock feed, as our pastures dry off and vanish. Several neighbours are facing the prospect of selling up. The emotions behind this are beyond imagining. Yet some properties are not even getting a bid, as neighbours don’t have the funds to purchase a couple of paddocks. Which leaves the owner in more of a dilemma than ever.

Stock water is another serious challenge. When the Corurgan Irrigation scheme closed its channels from the Murray River, suddenly we were faced with no source of water for the sheep and cattle. Many around here have tried to bore for water, but bedrock has presented major difficulties, and drill rigs have been rendered inoperable. Hence, water transport and costs are a never-ending drain of time and money. There is some financial assistance available for this. My husband attends our local farmer’s discussion group. Local agronomists host these. The outlook is grim. We are overwhelmed with bureaucracy/bookwork, dismal forecasts, escalating costs of inputs, and uncertain financial climates. The average farm debt around here is $1m. The average annual farm net income in average seasonal weather conditions on an average holding of 2000 acres might be about $60,000. This would barely cover interest rate repayments (11%), let alone any principal or living expenses. Government assistance is becoming more difficult to access. We live 25km north of the border; we know that much of Victoria is in similar straits.

The picture personally? Last week I visited my elderly parents and drove over the Goulburn and Campaspe rivers (northern Victoria). A toddler could walk across both rivers, barely getting his knees wet. As a farm bride, I was advised to mend trousers only to the first patch, and then toss them into the ragbag. My husband is now wearing triple patched trousers. Our last holiday was with kind friends near Tuross Heads, in October 2005 for a few days. This summer we pitched a tent in our bush block for the occasional night out under the stars, which was lovely, but that is all we can afford.

Our fibro-cement house, 28 years old, has never been repainted, and it shows. Our carpet in some rooms is literally down to the threads; I snip them off to prevent our tripping over them. Like many others, we are attempting to source income off-farm. Many wives now work off-farm, leaving their menfolk without another labour unit, so the men are working longer hours in isolation. Farmers work 12-16 hours daily, for minimal (if any) returns. We are trying to establish tourism into our bush block, turn our archival material into worthwhile products for the general public, and offer Farmstay in our little Cottage. See http://www.heritageproductsaus.com.au/ (Some details of the farm structure & scale need updating.) This enterprise is taking time to generate income and has a narrow target market, but we are hopeful.

We have attempted the establishment of saltbush for stock fodder, but the drought has decimated survival rates. We receive Government assistance, which helps household costs, and living expenses for one child at Uni. We are grateful for this, as we do need feeding. The Country Women’s Association (CWA) has also been most helpful. However, the big picture is another matter. Our children have all attended Government schools, for both financial and ethical reasons. They have all achieved their first preference in tertiary education; three are now independent. One or two local families continue to send their children away to boarding schools. Not us.

We are usually very self-sufficient: meat, eggs, vegetables, fruit, and herbs. I usually bottle vegetables and fruit by the dozen, and make a year’s supply of tomato sauce. But gardens need water. Our houseyard is a ‘garden’ of holes, as we remove dead shrubs and trees every couple of weeks. Most of these were native species. I am reluctant to water the garden with bore water, as it is highly mineralised and not good for our soil. Thankfully the sheep can drink it. Our leisure interests are neglected. We don’t have the funds or time to indulge. This includes classic Peugeot cars (may need to be sold) and rallies, classical music concerts (I’m a pianist/music teacher). My only off-farm ‘time out’ is 2 hours with friends for a weekly Bible study/fellowship. For Alex it is his monthly Historical Society meeting, and Museum duty. However, we do try to wind back on Sundays: usually church locally and then a quieter afternoon of reading, briefly catching up with friends, etc. But then there are always stock water troughs to check, etc.

A personal note: Being Christians, we know that our life is not bound to earth. Our future hope is fully in God, we are here for His glory, and He enables us to live by faith. We often say that our faith is what sees us through, both in respect to the farm, and life in general. How people manage without faith is beyond our comprehension. We know that many others are worse off, and we are thankful for many blessings despite our circumstances. Some will say – this situation is the survival of the fittest. Maybe European agriculture is unsustainable. Maybe the new Goyder line is the Murray River. See http://www.peterborough.au.com/goydersline.html, http://www.abc.net.au/rn/hindsight/stories/2007/1903977.htm. I do my bit by coordinating a network of sustainable agricultural enterprises www.learningfromfarmers.com.au However the drought has affected this group too, and membership is now down to 9. The survival of farmers does not seem to engender much urban sympathy or assistance. We are part of www.farmday.com.au in an attempt to bridge this gap.