#ShareAPaddock and Help a Fellow Farmer

SARAH-Jane Dunford has only been on the land for two years but has shown an amazingly generous country spirit by lending her 80 acres of paddock to a farmer in drought.

Sarah, who moved to Morpeth from Sydney to be with her husband were building a house and hadn’t been able to afford to stock cattle on their land, but didn’t want to see the good pasture go to waste.

Unloading cattle to greener pasture in Morpeth.

“We saw a lot of people suffering from drought and I thought what a waste this big paddock s going to and I spoke to my husband and said it’s always nice to do things for other people without wanting anything in return so let’s do this,” said Ms Dunford.

“We contacted quite a lot of people to try and get in touch with a farmer, lots of Facebook pages, Alan Jones, politicians and nearly gave up because no one was getting back to me and then John Preston from the Upper Hunter put me in touch with a farmer from near Scone,” she said.

“He dropped up 50 head two weeks ago and was so impressed with the pasture he dropped off another 40 head last Friday, so they are there until he can be back on his feet, there is no deadline, it’s free of charge for him to keep them there as long as he needs,” she said.

“It’s lovely looking out over the paddock and watching all the little black cows wondering around the place, it gives me a big smile thinking they are happy and well fed now,” Sarah-Jane Dunford said.

Sarah has started #shareapaddock in the hope of starting a conversation with other people who have spare land to do the same thing. More photos below.

James Archibald was contacted by John Preston, with Sarah’s offer and was relieved he had somewhere to send some of his cattle.

“I’d sent a lot of cattle on agistment, but had to bring them back as the feed ran out,” said Mr Archibald.

“I’ve sent all heifer calves down there and it means that is potential income for the next ten years when the market fixes up,” he said.

“It also means I am able to feed the cattle that I still have here for longer, so it is a win win.

“I just don’t know how to repay people like that, they could have taken it on agistment, so it is a very generous thing to do.

“The community do care and have gone above beyond donating hay and trying to support farmers, certainly there is more sympathy from the community than there is from the government at the moment, who are only offering loans and more debt is not what farmers need right now,” he said.

“Having transport subsidies again would be a huge help; I know of farmers who have spent $6,000 on transporting hay from Victoria and that is without buying a bale of hay, just the transport,” James Archibald said.

For more information on #shareapaddock visit Sarah’s Facebook page: Hunter Valley Paddock to Plate.