'Nothing like this': Community rallying to help struggling farmers

Merino Digby Lions Club is hosting a 'need for feed' event providing free hay and fodder to local farmers.

The first six months of 2024 are set to be within the top 10 per cent of the driest in south-west Victoria since 1900.

Merino Digby Lions club administrator Shirley Menz said it had received the most demand for the 'need for feed' services nationally.

"We've had over 90 registrations for assistance," Mrs Menz said.

Mrs Menz said the demand was so high the club was already considering running a second event before the first had been done.

"It's not something we've ever seen," Mrs Menz said.

"Quite a few [farmers] have said 'we've often given hay for drought relief areas and bushfire areas, never did we ever dream we would wish to be recipients of it'."

Mrs Menz said the conditions were so bad farmers were comparing the conditions to the 1967 drought that decimated the area.

She said even a small amount of rain wasn't significant to make a difference.

"The stock are just so hungry, they're just eating [the grass] as quick as it shoots through the ground," Mrs Menz said.

"You just can't get on top of it because it doesn't grow fast enough."

She said the event would help take some of the pressure off farmers.

Owner of ET & DA White, Eddie White delivers feed to farmers around the region.

He said three or four-year-old hay was worth more than hay cut earlier this year,

Mr White said farmers that were selling excess hay earlier this year were now needing to buy upwards of $60,000 worth of stock to keep their operation running.

He said he had "never" seen a winter as dry.

"[The rain] has come a bit late occasionally but nothing like this," Mr White said.

"We had 60 to 90 millimeters in January and people thought we were half sort of set, but it just dried off.

"It stopped raining at the end of January and never started again, basically."

Donations for need for feed can be made on its website.