The Services Club in Glen Innes was packed on Wednesday morning for the last in a series of “Drought Forums” held throughout New England.
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Farmers in need picked up parcels of food and household goods from a Salvation Army truck at the back while others sought advice from a raft of agencies inside in the main hall.
The event was aimed at drought sufferers in the wider region. There was a special bus from Tenterfield and people also came over from Inverell.
The picture that emerged was that this region is not as badly hurt as further south, but there are pockets of serious pain and overall it’s getting worse.
Local land-owners, Denis Haselwood and Archie Cameron, feared that some feeds were simply running out.
One farmer who didn’t want to be named said: “The workload alone is a real concern. You can’t get around feeding the cattle before you’ve got to feed them all again”.
One of the concerns voiced was that even if rain came, frost would prevent the renewal of pasture. “We’ve had some rain”, said Colin Baker who farms to the east of Glen Innes, “but the frost just won’t let the grass grow”.
The Country Women's Association have been raising money and sending it to Tottenham in the central west of the state where it buys food for farmers, so strapped for cash are they.