WA has been celebrating Wheatbelt’s record harvest in a year where many farmers in the eastern states have been battling the most severe droughts in recorded memory.  Family farms have been lost and there has been national outcry at the plight of people and livestock when rain just does not arrive.

But did you know, not every farm in our region has had a bumper year, in fact, some parts of the region are in a state of severe water deficiency.  Many of our soils are also water repellent so even when it does rain, it does not always reach the plants that need it.

At a time when many Wheatbelt farmers can put a few dollars aside or invest in that new piece of gear, some of our producers are not so fortunate.

The effects of drought not only impact farm finances but they create stress for families.

Wheatbelt NRM’s Regional Agriculture Landcare Facilitator has information on a range of Australian Government programmes that are available to farmers in need.

Programmes such as the Rural Financial Counselling Service.  They work with farmers to look at their finances and seek solutions to manage cash flow and debt. 

The Rural Financial Counselling service can also assist farmers to access the Farm Household Allowance distributed by Centrelink.  This is available all year around and is not drought dependant, but is there when farming families are unable to put food on their tables. 

For more information please contact the Wheatbelt NRM RALF Jacquie Lucas on either 9670 3113 or jlucas@wheatbeltnrm.org.au.