A LONG-TERM drought, floods, sky-rocketing water costs and milk prices downturn.
District farmers have copped them all.
The latest phase of support for farmers has occurred with the second Operation Dog Food distribution of 20-kilogram bags for farm dogs.
Seventy-five bags were delivered to Kerang on Friday, repeating the first round of distributed dog food last year.
Dingwall farmer and community worker, Mary Fenton co-ordinated the project with funding support from the Rotary Club of Bendigo, which has been providing support for farmers in this area since the drought.
Operation Dog Food co-ordinator, Larrie Winzar said that the club had provided $1500 for the second time to purchase 65 bags of food through local firm Landmark McNeil Saunders and a further 10 bags were donated by Ron and Dianne Saunders and distributed from the Rotary Club of Kerang’s centre on Friday.
Ms Winzar, the immediate past president of the Rotary Club of Bendigo, said that the club will provide support as long as it is needed.
Appropriate support for district dairy farmers, who have suffered a significant downturn in payments for their milk from dairy companies, is currently being investigated.
“We appreciate farmers and realise they have a hard job, probably one of the hardest,” she said.
Ms Winzar said that Operation Dog Food was “such a simple project”, but Rotary is considering replicating it nationally.
“When you have to feed the dogs, they can’t spend money on other things,” she said.
“It’s such a practical way of helping our farmers.”
Bendigo Rotarians, in conjunction with Mrs Fenton and their colleagues at Kerang, have hosted “pampering” days for farm women and a men’s day out in Bendigo for about 40 district farmers.
Mrs Fenton said that dogs were not only an important part of a working farm, but were also companions for farmers who were often working alone all day.
