Hay farmers, help is on its way!

Truckloads of fodder will arrive in East Gippsland on Saturday, September 15 to support farmers battling drought, courtesy of the Need for Feed Disaster Relief project run by the Lions Club of Pakenham.

Trucks, utes, trailers and support vehicles will leave Longwarry in convoy before arriving in Sale about 11.30am with fodder, calf pellets, dog food, care packages and hampers on board for farmers in need across both Wellington and East Gippsland shires. Wellington Shire and local Lions clubs will host a barbecue lunch for drivers and volunteers in Sale and community members are welcome to turn up and view the convoy to show their support at the Port of Sale.

Deliveries will be made to farms in some instances. For more remote or inaccessible farms, depots with fodder and other goods will be set up as collection points. That information will be relayed to those who have sought assistance.

The trucks will stop overnight at the Bruthen Recreation Reserve where the volunteer drivers will be hosted for a barbecue meal courtesy of the Lions Club of Bruthen and East Gippsland Shire Council, and breakfast the following morning at the Bruthen Hotel.

Need for Feed chief organiser Don Petty, a farmer himself, said truck numbers transporting the hay would be about 25.

“At this stage 25-30 trucks, most semi trailers, and support vehicles such as utes and trailers, a van full of care packs and hampers, will form the convoy, distributing predominantly in East Gippsland and Wellington,” Mr Petty said.

“Among the convoy will be about 15 old club permit trucks and about a dozen of those are prime movers. They are in really good condition and will make for quite a sight.

“We aim to support the local community wherever we go and almost everyone has chosen to stay on overnight at Bruthen to help support the local area.”

Mr Petty said the group had previously visited East Gippsland on Australia Day.

“We’ve continued to bring hay down and we will continue to come – this won’t be the last time. Many people are unaware that farmers in East Gippsland and Wellington are doing it tough. We hope this public hay run helps shine some light on the situation in eastern Gippsland,” Mr Petty said.

The fodder being delivered consists of some donated hay, but is predominantly hay purchased by Need for Feed at market value courtesy of financial donations made to the volunteer organisation. There have been some large donations made of late. Hampers and care packages are also made up of donated items, with, for example, some produce being included from a donor in Werribee.

Need for Feed has been overwhelmed by applications from people in trouble, highlighting the extent of the drought in eastern Victoria.

Mr Petty, who has been in contact with many farmers personally, said there had been “some wonderful phone calls”, with some farmers making a point of ensuring their neighbour is looked after as a priority.

“People just want to talk about it … there are some really tough stories. One of the reasons we do all this is to show farmers, some of whom farm and live alone, that they are not alone.”

East Gippsland Shire Mayor Cr Joe Rettino said Council was pleased to be able to assist Need for Feed with logistics and other support for the visit.

“We are tremendously grateful for the assistance the Need for Feed volunteers were providing East Gippsland farmers in their time of need,” Cr Rettino said.

“On behalf of those who receive a fodder or care package donation, and our primary producers more generally, we thank Need for Feed for identifying East Gippsland as needing a helping hand.”

Need for Feed has been supporting Australian farmers since 2006, through bushfires, flood and drought with convoys distributing fodder and care packages courtesy of farmers available to donate fodder and with monetary donations from the public.

To apply for assistance, lodge an application on the Need for Feed website: needforfeed.org. Donations can also be made through the website.