RRT Brings SA Farmers 1,073 Hay Bales & Hope

Drought-affected farmers in South Australia have been brought together for the Rapid Relief Team’s Farmers Community Connect in Paruna, sharing a meal and taking home free hay bales. A convoy of 14 road trains and b-doubles rolled across the SA-Victorian border last night, coming in from Merriwagga loaded with 1,073 bales of premium graded vetch hay.

140 farmers and their families came along to the Farmers Community Connect event at Brown’s Well Football Club. The group of 18 RRT volunteers drove the hay from Merriwagga in NSW, while another 32 cooked up more than 300 meals and handed out 140 RRT Food Boxes.

RRT has held three Farmers Community Connect events in South Australia since the drought began, helping 519 farmers, and donating 250,000 tonnes of livestock feed plus 2,635 hay bales.

Representatives from organisations such as Primary Industries South Australia (PIRSA), mental health services, rural financial counselling, and veterinary services were also on site. RRT thanks the South Australian Government for its support in providing a grant that was used to fund the transportation of the donated fodder.

South Australian Government Grant  

The grant funding is made available through the Drought Donated Fodder Transport Assistance Scheme administered by Primary Industries South Australia (PIRSA).

The purpose of the grant is to support drought-affected livestock producers by covering the freight costs of donated fodder delivered through approved charitable organisations.

The Rapid Relief Team’s Co-contribution 

RRT’s co-contribution is voluntary and not a condition of the grant. The cost of purchasing the hay and running the Farmers Community Connect event comes from RRT’s operational budget, in addition to the donated time of volunteers.