Riverland town unites for those feeling the bite of drought
After winning a best regional hotel award last week, one Riverland town has now filled its main shopping strip with tables to support farmers and businesses, launching the ‘A Farmer’s Plate’ campaign.
On Sunday, 200 locals settled into a long-table outdoor brunch in the main shopping street that overlooks the River Murray in Loxton.
Amongst the diners were Berri Barmera Mayor Ella Winnall and Loxton Waikerie Mayor Trevor Norton while Riverland based Liberal MLC Nicola Centofanti was busy volunteering at the event that was created to support a new initiative drawing attention to the challenges facing the community.
Kiara Fisher, co-organiser of Loxton’s Longest Brunch and founder of the ‘A Farmers Plate’ social media campaign about the current challenges facing primary producers and businesses, said the event was initially organised as a campaign launch but soon grew thanks the the community’s generosity.
The brunch raised more than $11,000 and is part of a fundraising initiative running until November 18 to assist primary producers living in the 5311-postcode area.
All proceeds would be distributed in gift cards to the registered primary producers in the area who could then use them at Loxton businesses, benefitting the local economy.
In order to apply for grant funding for the brunch, Fisher joined forces with other local farmers based in the Bugle Hut area near Loxton, and established a not-for-profit organisation, the 5311 Farm and Family Network.
All of the farmers on the board of the organisation are under the age of 35 and have self-funded the ‘A Farmers Plate’ campaign.
The campaign has a website featuring stories about several primary producers and their plight due to the extreme weather conditions.
Fisher said it was not just dryland farmers, but wine and table grape, citrus, and almond growers that also had been impacted.
Fisher lives on a farm at Bugle Hut, north east of Loxton with husband Jamie and their two-year-old daughter Aurora.
Jamie and his brother own more than 8,000 hectares of dryland farming property at Bugle Hut, Taplan and Taldra east of Loxton.
Fisher said the drought was not only affecting the livelihoods of primary producers, but local businesses as well who relied on their income.
The event was a chance for people in the area to enjoy each other’s company and forget about their worries.
“The feedback we received from a lot of people was that it was nice to have an excuse to get out on a Sunday,” she said.
“They saw lots of people that they hadn’t seen for such a long time, and it was nice to be with like-minded people to have conversations with.”
McCoy Patterson, who is featured in the ‘A Farmers’ Plate’ social media campaign, followed his dream to purchase a small farming property at Pata near Loxton.
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The 30-year-old grew up on a family farm that sadly had to be sold when his parents went their separate ways.
“Unfortunately, there was no farm to hand down and no money from parents, so I had to do it all by myself, doing shearing and working on other people’s farms, and driving trucks,” Patterson said.
He and his wife Beth who have two young children also share-farm and lease about 6500 hectares of land at Peebinga – and they have experienced one of their toughest years yet.
Not-for-profit organisation Mallee Sustainable Farming (MSF) has been providing farmers in the Riverland and Murray Mallee with support.
Its aim is to encourage more efficient, profitable and sustainable farming businesses in the low-rainfall Mallee region across New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
MSF communications officer Sarah Day said events like the brunch at Loxton were a good way of boosting awareness about the drought.
“It is a great opportunity for everyone to get together and hopefully still have those important conversations around drought and farming and get out with the family,” she said.
Last week the town’s hotel won a major Australian Hotels Association award.
Loxton Chamber of Commerce’s Business and Events manager Sonya Altschwager said businesses in the town were keen to provide primary producers with their support.
She said the Loxton Hotel and the Country Bakehouse and their suppliers, and Koch’s Foodland, MGE Riverland and the Little Miss Daisy coffee van all donated to the brunch.
“Everyone has just rolled up their sleeves and donated so much to raise so much money for primary producers,” Altschwager said.
The event received funding from the Department of Primary Industries and Regions of $5000.
It also received a $2000 contribution from the Equip Program, a community based preventative wellbeing natural disaster preparedness program funded by the Federal Department of Health and Aged Care.
A free creche was also provided by the Loxton District Children’s Centre to enable parents with young children to attend.
The generosity of the community and funding that was obtained also enabled 94 local primary producers to receive free tickets to the brunch.
