The red chewing gum strewn paddocks from Coonawarra in May are usually equal with parts of neongroen grass, awaiting the arrival of lambs.
But this year the soil is the color of the vine leaves that turn gold and brown.
The lack of rain in South Australia, and more unusual in the southeast, has led to a lack of food for cattle.
At considerable costs, farmers are grain and hay for ewes on lambs and cows with calves on foot.
But Coonawarra livestock farming George Kidman said that he and many in his agricultural community still felt hopeful and insisted on “urban neighbors” to gather themselves by keeping the farmers of the state by keeping meat on the board.
“Our City Cousins hear a lot about the drought, but often do not know what they can do to help,”
he said.
“When they call in the news and there are stories about drought, I am worried that farmers just put their hands in the cash register.
“But we are just looking for any understanding and recognition that it is difficult, but we still have hope.”
He said he told friends in the city who asked how they could help that buying Australian red meat was a “real way to support farmers immediately”.
Although times are now difficult, the Kidman family still has hope for the future. ((ABC South East SA: Liz Rymill))
Echoes from Melkprijsar
Mr Kidman, like the “milk price wars” of the dairy industry in 2017, said large supermarkets of milk to $ 1 per liter, there was a Groundswell of urban shoppers who wanted to support farmers by buying brand products.
“We saw consumers willingly pay more for their milk because they wanted to support farmers,” he said.
“Shop at the butcher, shop at the grocer and support small companies in rural cities where you can.“
Back-to-back bad seasons have led to increasing pressure for farmers. ((ABC South East SA: Liz Rymill))
Stock sold to keep food
Further south at the cattle farmers of the cattle near the regional city of Mount Gambier, linguization Ian Perryman said the situation he had not seen in his 50-year career.
“The southeast is normally a very reliable area,” he said.
Perryman said that the region usually received between 635 millimeters and 890 mm of rain per year, but was between 127 mm and 177 mm.
He said that the second year of the shortage of rainfall had led to a larger number of cattle from the season sold out, including young cattle “because farmers can’t afford to feed them”.
He said that he was worried about the longer -term prospects for slaughterhouses and potential delivery shortages, or increased prices, on shelves from supermarket.
“In the short term we buy a lot of cattle, but as soon as those veea numbers went to the back of 2025 and in 2026, we could see the least number of cattle by processors that we have ever seen,” he said.
Prime cuts holds
But in the city, customers are still standing in line at the counter of the butcher of Brian Shelton.
Mr. Shelton is the last to donate the blue and white stripe apartment to the family business of 80 years.
“In reality we are still walking off our feet,” he said.
Brian Shelton says that his customers want to keep meat on their plates. ((ABC South East SA: Liz Rymill))
“There is no doubt that the costs of living has risen, and the drought has forced to sell from the season for many farmers, but we still see that customers want their cuts and even the premium cuts such as Scotch Fillet are still good,” he said.
“I believe that the question maintains because customers are used to eating meat and even are looking for the more expensive, premium cuts.
“There is a slight increase in the sale of secondary cuts and oven dish meat, but not as much as I had thought.”
Mr. Shelton said he was convinced that his butcher shop could continue to deliver customers from as far away as Kingston, Bordertown and to Victoria in the midst of the persistent drought.
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