The King Islander arrived at Grassy on Monday morning with another smaller load of hay and pellets from the Need for Feed charity.
Bales will be distributed through the island’s Drought Coordinators engaged by TasFarmers.
This smaller load was unable to be loaded at Port Welshpool in late May when the first 500 bales of hay and 200 pallet bags of pellets were delivered to the island by Eastern Line Shipping, offering dry relief.
The island can expect a larger load of hay with laden trucks on board the King Islander to arrive on the island in late July. Need for Feed representatives will be coming to the island.
The demand for the organisation’s assistance continues to grow. Some parts of Australia are soaked, however much of southern Australia continues to experience record dry conditions.
Many areas, including King Island, missed out receiving last week’s rains or recorded less than 20mls. The dry in Tasmania is joined by South West Victoria, South Australian Victorian border, Northern and Southern Grampians and surrounds.
The normal late summer storms and Autumn rains have not happened in these areas, with only 15 -20 mls rain recorded in the last four months. Lambing has started and crop sowing impacted. Need for Feed has renewed calls for donations as they continue to supply fodder to other drought-stricken areas.
The Tasmanian Government King and Flinders Islands Primary Producers Seasonal Conditions Scheme (Support Payments) closes at 11pm on Sunday, June 30. Go to stategrowth.tas.gov.au, select Grants and Funding opportunities, Agribusiness and follow the links.
The workshops program focused on decision-making, drought preparedness and the future. Veterinarian support sessions are continuing, and information can be obtained through the Beef Producers Group, the Drought Coordination (0418 123 695) and King Island Lions Community Care (0428 611 332).
The extended dry seasonal conditions continue to cause challenges for many farmers. Each person navigates situational stress differently and while it’s not always easy to reach out for support, support is available through Rural Alive & Well rawtas.com.au. Either call directly on 1800 729 827 or submit a callback request via the website home page.
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