So how have they survived?

We have seen the rainfall data, and the hope for this season. The question remains, how do you get through 10 years of drought? With 2010 in the West Australian Wheatbelt set to be the 2nd lowest rainfall year on record.

What can we learn from our Victorian friends? The women's agronomy group was shown a very frank presentation on a couple of farms. They 'opened the books'.....the cost of finance has increase, and thank goodness for the low interest rates of the time....... the price of lamb has increased.....the farming practises have changed.......all three levels of Government jumped in with support........there were profit years along the way. The community has suffered, and worked out how to support each other.

The attached recording is John Ferrier, a wheat/sheep farmers with a couple of strategies they used during the drought.




Tarsh

Just Add Water!

Our trip to Birchip to learn drying climate strategies has ironically happened during rainy weather, and my farmer tour guide nearly got us bogged in his paddocks! The people of the Southern Mallee are understably cherishing the rain, and they enjoy just watching their paddocks grow. Sheep shearing is delayed, and vetch hay, recently cut and lying in rows, has been ruined, but the farmers were pretty philosophical, saying "Oh well the crops are still growing."
There is still a degree of tension though with locust hatchings being carefully watched, and little patches of frost evidence being checked - getting this season's harvest in the bin and money in the bank is critical for all - the farmers and the town businesses and for community confidence.
There is a degree of concern about the logistics of harvesting and transporting the crops to markets - the rail network seems unliklely to cope. Does this sound familiar to Western Australian Wheatbelt farmers?
Hooray, we are stopping for coffee, en route to the airport, so this blog is interrupted.
Key quote regarding marketing of wheat for you to think about;
There is nothing like high prices to cure high prices" - Jonathon White - AWB
regards Jane Mouritz

Yesterday we met with the Birchip Cropping Group's Women's Agronomy Group. It was a great day - very intensive, and lots of agronomy talk! (Not my strong area!!) For me, the most valuable part of the day was the discussions i had with the women from the group during the breaks. A couple of ladies were talking about communities, drought and depression, and one said she thought that 70 per cent of people in these types of communities were on anti-depressants. An incredible, and very scary statistic. Obviously the long term drought and the financial hardships associated with the dry seasons have had some serious medical impacts on people in the Wimmera Mallee and its something that community leaders in the wheatbelt of WA will have to take seriously from now on. One lady gave me some fantastic information that has been produced by the Buloke Shire (Birchip town) that deals with depression and handling stess. One paper is called "The Tool Kit for getting through the drought" ten strategies to cope with depression. very useful and i'll put more up later on this paper.

In WA, this area of "personal, social and mental health" has not traditionally been the role of the local government, but maybe our local Councils need to consider this area as a funding priority, particularly if the dry seasons in the wheatbelt continue. Community leaders need to know the signs of depression and be prepared to act.

We had a BBQ at John and Robyn Ferrier's place last night - fantastic hosts and a great finale to a really wonderful trip. Great to meet so many resiliant community minded people who are prepared to open their homes to strangers. HOpefully one day we can return the favour!

Chris and Melissis had 14 mls overnight - the relief on their faces this morning was priceless. Many more hurdles to overcome yet before the grain is in the bin and the money in the bank, but its one more step closer, and every step eases the burden that much more.

On our way back to the airport now, back to children, hot dry weather and reality.

Erin and I are staying with Chris and Melissa Rickard who are an amazingly resilient couple who live about 25 kms north west of Birchip. We had a great night last night with them and even convinced them (over beers and wine) to be interviewed on camera for the little DVD we hope to produce at the end of this trip. Erin and I are keeping our fingers crossed that we had the video equipment set up right because it was a fantastic interview, quite confronting and even emotional at times, but fantastic nevertheless. Melissa moved to the farm when she and Chris were married 10 years ago and she told us she has never seen a season as good as this one in her time on the farm. Interestingly, she said the drought and dry years have never affected her in the way that the expectation, promise and anticipation of this year's potentially fantastic harvest has. She told us that when it rained just two days ago and she could see it raining on the neighbor's property and not her's she had a physical reaction, she felt like crying and thought " we can't miss out again". She said this was the first time she had felt like that and had such a reaction. That story really illustrated the pressure on farmers at the moment. Feels like the hope, anticipation and anxiety could almost be bottled! The crops look so incredible here that these growers can almost taste the end result. After 10 -15 years of drought and dry years the need for a good year is critical. In saying all that Chris still talked about the possibility of frost, the impact of a lack of spring rain, the effect of heat shock, and of course the impending locust plague.
Our crops at home are made to look so much worse when compared to Chris and Melissa's but it's hard to be jealous after hearing their stories. Here's hoping all the stars align for them this year.

Droughts and flooding rains!

Wow - the day yesterday was so wet. The farm we are staying on now had 45mls in a thunderstorm on Tuesday evening. That stopped the shearing of their Dohne flock. The crops are huge and I feel happy for these people who have endured many years of reduced rainfall and drought.

We heard from Ellen White (Project Officer, Rural Women Leading Change) and other rural women yesterday of the incredible efforts to bring the communities together during those many years of trial due to this variable climate.

I must go now. Joy - we are off on a crop inspection. 4 - 5 Tonne wheat and barley crops to look at. Locusts are the big threat from the north. Right up my alley!!

Talk soon

Bendigo and Birchip

After dodging the rain all day we have arrived in Birchip and have had our first introduction to the Birchip cropping group. BCG 's mission is improving the prosperity of farmers and rural communities. There is a lot more happening than simply agronomic research and development.

Tomorrow we meet with the BCG Women's Agronomy Group and visit some trial sites after farm tours with our hosts.
I have been warned that my farm tour will be limited because the ground is so wet.

I enjoyed a fabulous home cooked, home grown lamb roast tonight. Thank you Rachael.

there is money out there during a drought

One thing that i have noticed about drought, and seems to be a recurring theme in the couple of places we've visited so far, is government funding seems to be pouring out of the metropolitan coffers and into regional areas. Community programs, from mental health counselling, to coffee groups, exercise forums, leadership programs are being established right across the regional areas to counter the "soft side" - excuse the expression - or perhaps the non scientific or agronomic impact of long term drought.

As a result, the communities here in the Wimmera Mallee region seems so incredibily strong and supportive in comparison to many towns in western australia that haven't had to deal with the same financial hardship. A silver lining to a very dark cloud. Be interesting to see if the government funding is so forthcoming now that it has rained, and everything is looking so spectacular here, and alternatively, if our state government is willing to allocate more funding into social and community programs if our drought continues longer than just 2010.

some of the ideas we heard today, through Ellen White project officer for the Rural Women Leading Change Program were amazing, and if funding were available, i can see would be incredibly valuable in developing sustainable rural communities, particularly utilising the often unrecognised skills and attributes of the women in rural areas, even in times of NON drought.

something to work on when we return!