AgriCast Episode 11: November 28, 2024 | How SA farmers will benefit from the latest drought support - video Dailymotion

AgriCast

Stock Journal editor Quinton McCallum breaks down the details of a new multi-million dollar support package for SA farmers.

Transcript

00:00Hi, welcome to ACM's AgriCast, Kirsten Diprose with you, and we're taking a look at the drought

00:12assistance package in SA, and no better person to do this with than Quinton McCallum, who's

00:18the editor of the Stock Journal.

00:20So a multi-million dollar assistance package has been announced for farmers in South Australia

00:25this week.

00:27What's actually in this package?

00:28In terms of the new funding, we've got $5 million for on-farm infrastructure grants.

00:35We've got $2 million to help charities deliver donated fodder.

00:39We've got another million dollars for mental health support and financial counselling,

00:45and then a further $100,000 for community events.

00:48And I'd imagine those infrastructure grants of up to $5,000 will be very much well received.

00:54What will farmers be using them for, do you think?

00:56Very likely be tanks and troughs that these grants will be used for.

01:01There was a bit of disappointment that there wasn't some more money allocated to that

01:04to allow some bigger purchases, but I think the people that do receive them will be very

01:10grateful.

01:11Have farmers felt supported throughout the drought?

01:14Well, that's a bit of a tricky one.

01:16I'd say they feel supported now, but it's taken a long time to happen.

01:20So there's been quite a number of calls over the past few months for acknowledgement of

01:25drought by the state government.

01:27Drought declarations are no longer a thing, but it has taken the government a fair while

01:32to put together this package.

01:34In fairness to them, they've wanted to get the details right.

01:37So they wanted to make sure this support sort of reaches the right people, and so you've

01:42got to commend them for that.

01:43It's an interesting space that we're in at the moment, because the federal government

01:47really has this push to encourage farmers to be drought resilient and to not rely on

01:54grants and to think about drought in terms of it being a natural part of the cycle of

01:59weather and climate in Australia.

02:01How is that being received by farmers?

02:04Some farmers believe that if you're in the business of farming, you shouldn't need government

02:08handouts.

02:09I guess on the opposite end of the scale, some believe food production is such an integral

02:13industry that government should support it when they're in the worst of times.

02:18What about rain?

02:19I know that some districts have had some rain.

02:22What are conditions looking like now?

02:24We've probably had the most rain just in the past couple of weeks across most of South

02:29Australia.

02:30Unfortunately for cropping in particular, it's come too late and it's probably going

02:34to disrupt harvest.

02:35People are probably already looking to start to conserve soil moisture for next season.

02:41So we're already looking ahead to how they can use this rain that's come.

02:44The other big news this week in SA has been the news that dairy agribusiness Bestin Global

02:49Food Company is shutting down despite owing millions to local farmers.

02:55What's the reaction been to that?

02:57It's an awful situation to be quite honest.

02:59The writing's probably been on the wall for a little while, but Bestin has sort of taken

03:04up to about a third of South Australia's milk previously.

03:07Now they've closed their doors, basically leaving farmers to try and find a new milk

03:12buyer and approximately $10 million owed to those farms as well.

03:17So there's real concern that this will drive farmers out of the industry.

03:21Well, no doubt you and your team will be keeping abreast of all of this.

03:26Quinton Mckellon, thank you for joining us on Agricast.

AgriCast Episode 11: November 28, 2024 | How SA farmers will benefit from the latest drought support

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