Just over a week ago I posted a photo of a cow that I found while moving some cattle to fresh water. The old cow had fallen down the bank of a creek and was unable to get up even with the help of my Father In Law and myself due to her age and her physical weakness caused by the continuing drought over more then 80% of Queensland. We had to put her down so that she was no longer suffering. I referred to the post as The Face of the Drought. I received a lot of supportive comments from many who follow RFTTE but I also received a fair share of negativity. Some of it was because people believed that by putting images like that up, I was giving the so called Animal Rights Activists ammunition to use against us. They were partially right because there were a few TROLLS lurking that night. One in particular accused me of being involved in the worst case of animal cruelty that hed ever seen and stole my photo and posted it on his own timeline. He also accused us of overgrazing and turning Australia into a desert. He didnt even bother to read my post or look at the photos that I had posted seconds prior to that post. I would like to share a few facts and photos so that I can hopefully help people understand. 1) This is one of the worst droughts in recorded history because it is so widespread and so prolonged. Usually graziers are able to either sell their cattle or to pay for agistment. Both of these options were nearly impossible because of the widespread nature of the drought, low cattle prices and the flood of cattle on the markets. At one stage we had to wait six months to get our fats into the meatworks. 2) We are in an area that QRAA (Queensland Rural Adjustment Authority) has categorised as a 1 in 20 area. What this means is that we can expect drought conditions once in every twenty years. I have lived here for more then twenty years and while we have had dry spells, we have never had such a long one or so little rain. Our average rainfall is 26 inches or 650 mls per year. In 2012 our yearly rainfall was 18 inches (450 mls). In 2013 we had 7 inches (175 mls) and in 2014 we had 2 inches ( 50 mls) over the biggest part of our property. Now we can control and prepare for a lot of things but we arent GODS. 3) This drought has followed on the effects of several other disasters. For us Cyclone Yasi, while it brought welcome rain, caused thousands of dollars of wrecked fences, lost cattle and paddock damage. The Ban on Live Export meant that cattle prices were at a low and everyone had excess cattle on hand. 4) Due to the above mentioned disasters, many graziers found themselves in debt going into the drought. We have no cash reserves to fall back on. The banks have tightened their grip and we find it harder to borrow money. Many have already lost their properties and heartbreakingly some have chosen to end it all rather then to fight on. I am not trying to cause controversy, I just believe that the greatest percentage of Australians really dont have a clue what is happening. If you feel the need to comment (either for or against) please do so in a polite, non-confrontational manner. Thanking you.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 12:36:24 +0000
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