Before and During a Drought

FARMERS throughout the district are watching their land change before their eyes.

Patricia Taylor talked about the changes she has seen on her property near Moonan, where she has lived for 28 years and has been in the family for more than 100 years.

See photos of Patricia’s property below.

Share your photos and story of before and during the drought: news@scone.com.au.

“We’ve had droughts before where we’ve been low on feed and others that are low on water, but this time we are low on both,” said Ms Taylor.

“Even the spring fed dams are dry which we’ve never known,” she said.

“One creek which in more than 100 years and has never known to be dry is dry and has been for about 18 months,” she said.

“We had permanent water, but it is just no longer there,” she said.

“We have never seen the area around Belltrees and Moonan like it is now, it’s not drought it’s moonscape,” Patricia Taylor said.

Patricia sold her cattle early and is trying to hand onto core breeding stock, but said it could take 10 years to recover and in the meantime the taxes and fees keep coming.

“There is no way to drought proof a property and these landowners don’t need loans they can’t pay the loans back that they have, they need grants,” said Ms Taylor.

“Even once the drought breaks it’s going to take five to 10 years to recover from this and they won’t have the income to pay the loans off,” she said.

“The government profits from us every year with the taxes and fees we pay; really I don’t know how agriculture is a profitable job anymore.

“These farmers are at breaking point and some are already broken.

“We still have to pay the same rates which are about to come out again, rates to the Local Land Services, we still have to pay so many fees and taxes with no breaks.

“The government is really doing sweet nothing and what they did this week should have been done twelve months ago before we reached this point.

“They have petty cash for natural disaster and what do they think drought is?

“They are just not looking after their own.

“I pay my taxes and then I see them being spent on people overseas and for pointless things in the city,” she said.

“I’ve actually donated money to drought fund raising efforts, but all of these people who are fundraising shouldn’t have to be doing what they are doing,” she said.

“I hope my children don’t have to go through this,” she said with a shake in her voice.