TOUGH decisions as to the future of their grazing operations will need to be made before Christmas by South West Queensland landholders as exhausted feed reserves, crippling lamb losses and the ongoing cost of feeding shut production down.
As many properties across the region record their lowest 12-month rainfall on record and surging kangaroo numbers compete head-to-head with those cattle and sheep that remain after extensive destocking, producers say they cannot continue costly supplementary feeding for much longer.
Foundation breeding stocks have already been cut into following reluctant but necessary offloads from graziers in the sheep heartland around Charleville and Cunnamulla.
If rain does not soon come, as predicted likely by the Bureau of Meteorology, graziers will be forced to sell off genetics that in some cases have taken generations to develop.
Cunnamulla district sheepmeat and wool producers, Stuart and Pru Barkla, Rosscoe Downs, will miss out on the sale of more than 3000 lambs this season, which had been forecast to be produced on the property, the entirety of next year’s turnoff.
The Barklas, who have had family ties to Rosscoe Downs since 1947, market via their own branded product, however will next year be forced to attempt to meet order demands with trading stock.
“This drought is different,” Mr Barkla said.
“We’ve had the lowest rainfall here on Rosscoe Downs in a 12-month period ever, receiving only 290 points (72.5mm) since January.
“This combined with an out of control kangaroo problem and very high heat at the beginning of the year has seen the country deteriorate much more quickly than previously.”
Mr Barkla estimates the kangaroo population on Rosscoe Downs has neared a one-for-one ratio with the sheep remaining on the largely destocked property.
Already, as a result of this extreme grazing pressure, the flock has been reduced by at least two thirds, with thousands of ewes relocated to the Barklas’ smaller finishing holding at Clifton.
“We now have about 800 ewes we are trying to keep here for the moment as we have run out of room at Clifton,” he said.
“Once we can sell some we will relocate the ewes remaining here, but until then we will have to continue feeding.
That’s already cost us $130,000 so far and that is ongoing so this is obviously very serious. Even if this were to break before the end of the year it will still take two to three years to get back to where we started.”
An AgForce Queensland survey of drought-affected producers across Queensland has shown 70 percent of respondents rate this drought as more severe financially than previous drought events, while almost 60 percent have found it more personally challenging to deal with.
AgForce Senior Policy Advisor, Dr Dale Miller, said this was despite 93 percent having undertaken drought preparedness activities after the previous dry.
“These measures have included improving water sources, reducing grazing pressure and more proactive planning,” Dr Miller said.
“The fact that this drought is still rating as worse shows the unique and severe nature of this event.”
In September, the State Government formed the Drought Control Group in a bid to elevate and coordinate the drought response across Queensland. This has been undertaken in addition to an increase in support to $30,000 under the Drought Relief Assistance Scheme.
AgForce findings
- Survey went to 30 shires with more than 250 respondents
- 70pc say this drought is more severe financially.
- 60pc say this drought is more difficult to deal with personally.
- 75pc say they have less than 20pc of potential full supply of surface water.
- 40pc have received only between zero and 150mm in the past 12 months.
- Average supplementary feeding costs $77,700/month (up from $24,750) with a maximum $39,400/month.
