There’ll be fodder drops in flood-stricken north-west Queensland today, as relief efforts in the region crank up.
It’s estimated up to 300,000 head of cattle have perished in floodwaters, while herds are stranded and facing possible starvation.
Rural aid CEO Charles Alder says helicopters will distribute 1,500 hay bales.
“The trucks will drive to designated drop points where a fleet of helicopters – both military and private choppers – will then fly into those drop points, and then fly the hay into the paddocks and on to the properties,” says Mr Alder.
He says farmers are desperate to feed their livestock.
“This fodder is critical to at least allowing the remaining animals to try [to] get something into their stomachs,” says Mr Alder. “They’ve had to deal with drought for the last six or seven years and now floodwaters and cold wind off the waters, which is really what’s killed a lot of [the animals].”
Interstate road trains carrying hay continue to arrive in north-west Queensland as aviation fuel supplies flown in by the military give a glimmer of hope to flood-affected farmers.
However, the promised bulk military airdrop of fodder for the surviving cattle has been put on the backburner, nearly a week after it was promised by various levels of government.
Rural Aid chief executive Charles Alder said the hay trucks had arrived throughout the weekend and would continue to reach the likes of Winton, Cloncurry and Longreach this week.Advertisement
The 50 road trains are carrying $350,000 worth of hay and the cost of their fuel is worth the same amount again, but have been funded by donations to the Buy a Bale campaign.
“The challenge for these farmers is during the seven years of drought, they have been feeding and keeping their cattle alive, and then in the space of 72 to 96 hours hundreds of millions of dollars of cattle drowned and were washed away,” Mr Alder said.
“South Australia is the predominant supplier of hay to Australia, with New South Wales and Queensland in drought and there being not much hay around.
“The majority of the trucks coming up from South Australia, unloading and then picking up more from within Queensland.
“We are working with councils to distribute hay to the best points for helicopters to then get the hay and fly off to distribute it.”
Mr Alder said the Australian Defence Force decided last week to drop the idea of flying in bulk batches of hay and it was far easier to use road trains.
The office of Assistant Minister for Home Affairs Linda Reynolds, responsible for the federal response to the floods, confirmed the military’s focus was taking aviation fuel into affected areas.
A spokeswoman for Senator Reynolds said many areas had nearly run out of fuel for helicopters and some farmers did have fodder, but could not get to it without fuel for their helicopters.
“The Australian government is in close contact with Queensland authorities and has activated plans to assist,” Senator Reynolds’s office said in a statement.
“Emergency Management Australia and Australian Defence Force liaison officers are embedded in the Queensland State Disaster Coordination Centre.
“Emergency Management Australia is working with the ADF, Commonwealth agencies, Queensland authorities, local Queensland mayors, AGforce and Rural Aid to meet the needs of affected farmers and their communities.
“AGforce and Rural Aid are coordinating the transportation of bulk fodder to strategic distribution points.
“The local disaster management groups are coordinating with the ADF to use their heavy lift capability to move fodder to secondary distribution points.
“We recommend any farmers and members of the community who require any support during this natural disaster contact their local shire council or local disaster management group.”
The ADF has put Brigadier Stephen Jobson on the ground in Julia Creek to talk to local farmers and find out what support they need, including disposing of their cattle’s carcasses.
A further 17 Townsville schools reopened on Monday, but 21 remained closed and more than 34 childcare centres were also still shut.
An Ergon Energy spokesman said only 150 properties were without power on Monday in Townsville after 17,000 were plunged into darkness during the height of the floods.
The premier’s office said in a statement on Sunday evening all seaports were open, buses and taxis were returning to normal and only eight people remained in evacuation centres.
Hay from Rural Aid is finally reaching stations in NW Queensland with helicopters working all day to get hay to stranded cattle.
Over 160 large square and round bales have been trucked to different locations around Winton where the helicopters carried bales to small mobs of 20 or 30 too weak to walk.
160 bales will feed up to 8,000 cattle for a day and will keep them alive for days afterwards.
The Mayor of Winton, Gavin Baskett says property owners are in desperate need until the grass starts growing, “The hay from Rural Aid is very important because some of the cattle haven’t eaten for 12 days After being exposed to rain and wind, having something in their stomach for three or four days is important until the grass starts to shoot. I want to thank all Australians because it gives us hope. It was great to see how quickly it got here, landing within a day of when it was needed.”
Tahnee Oakhill is from Bernfels Station and has around 1,00 cattle. They have been greatly affected with more stock ‘down than up’. She says the hay from Rural Aid will be a huge help, “We had 22 inches of rain so can’t get onto our country and won’t be able to for a week or so. The cattle have been starving for ten days so this hay will be a life saver for most of those.” Nathan Mura ajists cattle on Nufarm station. He says the flood has gone through all their channels,”This hay from Rural Aid is a huge help, it will help any of the cattle still alive because after 10 days without feed it will start their rumen again so they might make it through.”
Debbie and Geoff Nicols from Bendemeer station say the scenes have been heartbreaking. Around 40 cattle died at the fence surrounding their homestead. They haven’t been home because the road has been inpassable. She says the hay will help a great deal,” It will fill their stomachs, give them a bit of strength to carry through until the green feed comes through. They have nothing now so anything is a big help. The first people that turn up here are Rural Aid, you’re there standing beside us helping in any way you can”.
In addition to these Winton hay bales, 350 bales are heading to Cloncurry today and a further 300 will be on their tomorrow, Monday.
1,500 bales are being trucked in total with another 1,000 being sourced from Collinsville in Northern QLD.
The CEO of Rural Aid, Charles Alder says the charity will keep supporting flood affected farmers until it is told to stop.
Drought-ravaged Queensland graziers could lose half their herds after a once-in-a-century monsoon dumped three years of rain in just ten days.
Flood waters have swamped properties from Mount Isa to Charters Towers and south to Longreach.
The deluge has killed cattle in their thousands and left entire herds isolated and facing possible starvation.
Grazier Jamie Zammit at Wyreema Downs, south of Julia Creek, says it’s too boggy to inspect his 30,000-acre station but in the paddocks he can get to he’s found stock losses at 50 per cent.
“It’s pretty shitful. I can’t see anything but rain and dead animals,” he told AAP.
“At the end of the day it’s pretty much a disaster, everyone battled through the drought then got three years of rain in 10 days.”
“This country can’t handle rain like that, there are creeks where there were never creeks and we’ve never had rain like this in a 100 years of records.”
Rural Aid chief executive Charles Alder says hundreds of farmers are facing a dire situation, with up to 300,000 head of cattle affected.
“For these farmers who’ve been battling drought for five and six years it’s just crippling,” he told AAP.
Mr Alder says it’s a race against time to get food to the surviving cattle.
He estimates the cattle industry could be facing stock losses of up to $100 million.
“It’s going to be a big issue for banks because farmers aren’t going to be able to restock very quickly and they’re going to need to have cashflow to pay their bills,” he said.
“When you’ve got stock you sell some but if you’ve lost half it becomes a very marginal operation for you.”
He said getting help to flooded communities was very difficult, given how widespread the flooding was but 1500 hay bales were already heading north to affected communities
We’re hoping to begin delivering fodder to flooded communities on Friday, he said.
Assistant Minister for Home Affairs Linda Reynolds said recovery grants of up to $25,000 would be available for primary producers in seven local government areas.
“Gut-wrenching information has come through about stock losses of 25 to 50 per cent of entire herds of cattle and groups of 300 to 400 cattle clustered along fence lines as well as dead animals in flood water flowing through and around towns,” she said.
“You need more than passion to play a musical instrument, you also need a musical instrument.”
Rural Aid’s latest project The Gift of Music is breaking down that barrier for hundreds of rural and regional kids all over Australia, although they do need the public’s help according to musician and event coordinator Victoria Edwards.
“Giving a child a musical instrument is not just giving them a skill for life, it also gives them joy, gives them something to do, improves their hand eye coordination, teaches patience and discipline and helps with school studies,” she said.
“Music is just great – it is one of those rounded things that we need in society but unfortunately music and arts programs are generally the first to go from schools.”
The Gift of Music is calling on everyone to have a look around their house and donate any unused, old, and even broken instruments to the program.
Rural Aid then tries to match the instruments with either individuals or schools that have applied through their website, recently delivering 37 eukalales to the remote region of Bedourie in south west Queensland.
“How many people have old instruments that they have bought for their kids or themselves that no longer get used,” Mrs Edwards said.
“We even fix up instruments that aren’t in good shape.
“Sharing an instrument is giving it new life, and bringing music into the life of a child or a family is an amazing thing.”
People can register instruments, or apply for an instrument, through the Rural Aid website.