To be anxious about the implications of this drought situation?

[RedDwarves]

I live in a state of Australia which is now classified as being in drought - the area I live in is in "severe drought", having received less than two weeks total worth of rain since March 2017. We are in crisis, and I don't see any end in sight.

I live in a rural area and know many farmers, some of whom say that this is the worst that they have ever seen. We are rapidly chewing through supplies to feed stock, and because of Australia's fragile ecosystem, simply importing from other countries isn't an easy option. Knowing that farmers are already at increased risk of depression and mental health problems - when times are good - I feel desperately helpless about the current situation.

I'm not sure why I'm posting here. I look around and see nothing but barren grounds - no sign of green anywhere. Rivers and dams are almost dry, stock is rapidly decreasing because farmers are having to sell of their livelihood etc. It's seriously grim.

Racecar I don't need to. I am aware of the consequences of cotton farming. Australia produces very little cotton compared with other countries. It was mentioned in an off-hand way to the original comment about unsustainable farming practices.

Our main exports - as I have said countless times now - is beef and wool. This will not stop.

Bloody hell, you are dense. At least read my posts before spewing your bile.

I'm a happy meat eater. I agree that it does sound bonkers to farm heavy water consuming crops in a country subject to drought.

We’ve got rain!! For the first time in a month. I doubt it’ll do much good in the long run but it’s a start.

Oh gosh finally getting some rain in the Hunter today. Means hubby cant work but we need it sooo much. We went for a drive today and everything from Mitland out was just dead and brown. :( I think you also have to consider a few other things Charges for water stored in our own damns, massive water allowances to foreign mining investors from our river systems.

It was roadkill central driving into Maitland last night, all the roos are searching for water and being even more stupid than usual around cars.

To anyone commenting on here that is not in Australia (@flaofno - yes you), you have no place, no understanding and should really keep your opinions to yourself if unhelpful and insensitive.

We’ve just has the RFS knock on our door to check if we’re going to leave or stay and defend in the event of a fire tonight. We’re going to leave so told them if the car isn’t on the driveway we’ve gone.

Everything is so dry it’ll go up instantly if there’s a spark. FIL is also staying in town tonight in case he needs to door knock (he volunteers with the SES).

It’s so early in the season for a warning like this but we’ve been on a severe fire warning today with a total fire ban.

Bags have been checked and the car is full of fuel just in case.

How is wool so important economically to Australia when, in the UK, farmers lose money on every fleece? I believe they sell for about 40p a fleece, and professional shearers charge more than that.

In the global economy, where it's probably all being exported to the same place for processing, the disparity seems rather odd.

As for what farmers would do if they stopped farming in areas where it's inherently unsustainable - the same as all the previous generations who have moved out of farming - an alternative job.

I can't help but feel that the aborigines are hunter gatherers, not farmers, for a reason.

The indigenous peoples have some good ideas. Maybe you could look into that.

We moved from the New England Region in NSW 5 years ago. Sold up a cattle and sheep farm - we ran about 6,000 sheep and 1,000 cattle. We weathered the millenium drought.
There are in my husband and my opinion big issues with farming practices in Australia that have to be addressed.

Cotton farming in Narrabri ( and similar areas) and Cubblie Station - have to be dealt with.
Water licences and water allocation , water theft, reduction of the numbers of dams of properties up stream , this needs to be enforced to allocated numebers
Rice farming in stupid areas.
Land clearing ditto.
Soil erosion.
Management practice with stock must change. Farmers need to consider cell grazing , better pasture management, resting paddocks and a number of other newer practices that are not being taken up quickly enough
Over stocking
Prices that farmers are paid for produce by the big companies
Salination

But is the government doing anything?
No. Because only the cities are important. And their continuation with their blather about a Big Australia is completely idiotic in a nation with water issues in large swathes of the country.
It is only going to get worse drought wise and while these industries are vital to our economy, change must happen somehow. It is disgusting how much rural Australia is ignored until this kind of thing happens. And even then much of the offers from the government to assist are merely tokenism.

rant over.

We have big black rain clouds over head yay. It’s not raining yet but we’re forecast a decent rainfall over the next few days. It won’t be anywhere near enough but it should help.

I don’t understand why the govt is issuing yet more low interest loans to farmers and not doing more to look at the long term issues. Things are only going to get worse and while farmers don’t necessarily want handouts they can’t afford to take on more loans.

More needs to be done to increase the money farmers get for their produce and supermarkets need to start putting some of their massive profits into the primary producers that keep them going.

That said Jobs that are currently geared around animal production could move to crop production instead
Doesn't solve the problem of no rain.

I don’t understand why the govt is issuing yet more low interest loans to farmers and not doing more to look at the long term issues
Me neither. Nor handing over even more huge sums of money to build fancy new hotels at the Great barrier reef when food production is suffering so much. Or signing up to committing to masses of refugees entering the country, when population numbers are already way past sustainable levels. Why are they not looking into building loads of desalination plants or similar?

What are the farmers going to do for jobs? Something else. Government support should be spent on supporting farmers out of farming, nobody owes any farmer a living, just the same as no-one owes someone who wants to be a hollywood star a living. If it doesn't workand the droughts and salination are examples of how it isn't workingyou need to stop bloody doing it.

I live in Australia. I really like it here, and these days it is home. But it really, really pissed me off to have to move here--there was no work in my specialised field at home, largely because of dumb government policy. So, I could have sat at home whining that government policy didn't suit me, and why wouldn't they provide me with a job. Instead I got on with it and did something else. Farmers need to do the same.

Instead I got on with it and did something else. Farmers need to do the same.
That's not the point though, is it. This is a homegrown food issue. If the majority of dairy/meat/wool animals are killed because there's no food/water for them, when the drought ends and things get back on track new stock will need to be found/grown (imported?). Which all takes time, meanwhile we have none to export and are importing expensive foreign food. I've always found Australians to be quite patriotic about buying Aussie food, it just makes sense to keep farmers going as well as possible until the drought breaks.

It's an awful situation in Australia and I really feel for all involved but nothing you say will make it rain so the country as a whole needs to adapt their farming industry. Saying beef and wool exports won't stop isn't going to change anything. Animal ag takes vast amounts of water and if your country doesn't have plentiful rain you can't carry on farming in the usual way. Humans have always had to adapt to survive and this isn't any different.

It's obvious you aren't going to get the answers you want on a predominately British Website, as we have no experience of the issues of farming in the Outback.

You do come across as very left wing - unwilling to engage in any solutions and claiming Australian farmers suffer from mental health issues. Most farmers have resilience, back up plans and help from their farming communities/Aust. Govt.

Neshoma
The OP is correct about an increased level of mental health issues amongst Australian farmers and rural communities. Suicide rates in these areas are far higher than in urbanised areas, and the Australian government is useless in dealing with the issues farmers face.

www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2017-10-12/suicide-still-a-bigger-problem-in-the-bush/8996568

www.theguardian.com/nab-more-that-matters/2018/may/04/growing-our-farmers-mental-health

It does make you wonder why some farmers continue to try to survive in an area and an industry that seems like an uphill struggle at every turn. I know the farm may of been in a family for generations but surely there must come a time when you have to let go and move on to something that doesn't make you feel suicidal.
As someone else mentioned perhaps that's why aboriginal people were hunter gatherers rather than farmers. Mother Nature is still in control no matter what we do.

this is a homegrown food issue
If the food can't be grown here, it can't be grown here. Read Jared Diamond's 'Collapse' on the way European style farming may have irrevocably damaged Australian soil. If the drought endswhich given climate change it may notthe soil is still fucked. It is entirely possible that it is no longer POSSIBLE to grow lamb/beef/dairy/wool in Australia. There are other things, fruit and the like that can be grown here. It is possible for Australia to generate other resources (49% of the world's uranium is under Australia, and there are a shit ton of smart people here who could generate HUGE knowledge exports, for example) that allow us to pay for the things that can't be grown here. I know that offends an Australian sense of self-reliance, but it is a normal way of running an economy, and wishing you didn't have to do it doesn't make it not so.

You do come across as very left wing - unwilling to engage in any solutions and claiming Australian farmers suffer from mental health issues er, in Australia the support for this sort of nonsense is usually on the right of the political spectrum, IME. Left wingers care about the environment etc., so do not promote farming above all else. The National Party (which is part of the LNP, tenuously holding on to government at the moment) is the one most voted for by farmers, and the one most likely to posit "solutions" that keep farmers trapped on unproductive land hoping things will change. I'm left wing--and I posted what I think the solution is above.

Agree completely