Farmers Battle WORST Drought In 100 Years: ‘It’s Dire!’

by | Jul 19, 2018 | Headline News | 35 comments

Do you LOVE America?

    Share

    Farmers are saying the situation they’ve been presented with is “dire.” As they battle the worst drought they’ve faced in 100 years, farming families in central-western New South Wales in Australia are facing ruin.

    According to The Guardian, the farmers in the affected region of central and western New South Wales continue to battle a crippling drought that many locals are calling the worst since 1902. In Warrumbungle Shire, where sharp peaks fall away to once fertile farmland, the small town of Coonabarabran is running out of water. The town dam has fallen to 23% of its capacity and residents are living with level-six water restrictions. There are real fears the town will run dry. Unable to provide food would not only mean financial ruin for the farmers but also less food for those who need it. “It’s a pretty tough old time,” says Coonabarabran farmer Ambrose Doolan. “But if you’re working with your family and everyone is looking out for each other, you count your blessings.”

    Last year, the Doolan family recorded their fourth-lowest average rainfall and that poor year has been followed by even drier conditions this year. The family has begun selling whatever stock they can and spends their whole day at feeding the cattle that remain because the pastures have dried up.

    Farmers in this part of NSW are importing almost all food for their livestock from as far away as South Australia as prices rise with demand. The continued cost of buying feed is causing many to question their future on the land. The NSW government recently approved an emergency drought relief package of $600m, at least $250m of which will cover low-interest loans to assist eligible farm businesses to recover. The package has been welcomed but, in the words of a local farmer, “it barely touches the sides”. With the prospect of a dry El Niño weather pattern hitting the state in spring, the longer-term outlook is dire. The Guardian

    As the cost of trucking in food for cattle and sheep increases, so will the cost of the products created from them, hitting consumers’ wallets hard. Charities such as Buy a Bale, where people can purchase hay bales for local farmers, have been some assistance, but rain would offer the biggest relief.  While much of NSW experienced a wet start to winter, the darker skies over Coonabarabran have yet to deliver said relief. And many farmers say they will reject the government’s offer of a loan simply because they are already in a dire amount of debt.

    URGENT ON GOLD… as in URGENT

    It Took 22 Years to Get to This Point

    Gold has been the right asset with which to save your funds in this millennium that began 23 years ago.

    Free Exclusive Report
    The inevitable Breakout – The two w’s

      Related Articles

      Comments

      Join the conversation!

      It’s 100% free and your personal information will never be sold or shared online.

      35 Comments

      1. In this country, water is piped 600 mi, emptied into a reservoir, and sold to foreign countries, some miles down the road. Local springs have been fenced and cemented-off, from local use, considered criminal.

        Where does (fill-in-the-blank) elemental, physical need come from. This is a question that starts wars.

        • Europe is experiencing the worst draught ever.

          This might be the advent of planet Nibiru.

        • Europe is experiencing the worst drought ever.

          Volcanoes erupting, earth quakes etc….

          This might be the advent of planet Nibiru.

          • Maybe, the first event of the Biblical Tribulation period?

            • Like in 1975/1976? Do you reckon this is the second tribulation then?

            • Oh, this ain’t the Great Tribulation…by any means…this is just the beginning of birth pains that Christ spoke about in Matthew…The great and terrible day of the Lord will be poured from His cup mixed at full strength. there will be not a tribulation before or after that will compare to what God will bring upon all the nations of the earth. The only way to avoid it would be to confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the grave and you will be saved. For the wage of sin is death, but there is a free gift of God of eternal life through the Lord Jesus Christ. Otherwise perish and spend eternity separated from God in the Lake of Fire.

        • Problem here in the AUST Bush,is just that TREELESS,just clear too much bush,and they help with Photosinthisis, a dictionary word that one.

      2. Guess it doesn’t matter too much any more the neighbors dog crapping on my lawn cus i havent had to cut it for 3 weeks cus its all dead like straw and the dog turds are now white and petrified. Suppose thats oart of the reason ive been going thru so much beer lately havent gotten off the porch lol

        • I’ve been accused of that, while some watched me, curbing the dog.

          Fence.

      3. Not much rain here in Texas, either, and the temps are returning to the 100’s for weeks at a time, like they did in June. The powers that be always talk about another reservoir when the weather gets like this. My hope is they stop talking, and get to building. That 1950-1957 drought finally pushed them into action, and that’s why we have the reservoirs we have now. The last one was from 2011-2014, THEY SAY, but I believe it lasted from 2011-2016. At least in my neck of the desert it was. Y’all take note. The one thing civilizations and their economies can’t overcome is persistent drought. They’ve pumped so much water out of the ground in the Houston area that the place has sunk, and a good hard rain, when it does come, puts the highways and a lot of city streets under water. I think we should be de-salinating water very soon.

        • it’s bad around San Antonio too…..they can manipulate the weather….note the chemtrails in the sky.

          They want agenda 21….no rural communities

        • Bad in the Dallas area too. Luckily, we had about 3 1/2″ of rain at my house last week, thanks to the scattered thunderstorms. However, temps are on the rise. 106 yesterday, 107 today and going up to 109 in the next couple of days.

      4. ALL of this is known, and there are millions of us, and numerous Governments around the world, who know we are entering a Cooling period.

        There are numerous YouTube channels that explain this. Some good ones are:

        Adapt 2030
        Oppenheimer Ranch Project.
        Ice Age Farmer

        and anything by John L Casey
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miIEAOAOgyI

        and the blog Ice Age Now
        https://www.iceagenow.info/

        I recommend you watch 5 of each of there videos. They will provide links to MORE which will show you what is coming and how bad it will be. This very Winter, which will start early, will be when the World will be SHOCKED.

      5. I live here in the SE USA/North Carolina more precisely,foothills 50 miles west of Charlotte,the most populous city.
        We ve been facing Climate change the past 15 20 yrs here with droughts.
        Back 30 yrs ago I had 60 thousand bucks worth of 4 leaf clovers ,I would work up for mainly the red cross charity fundraising efforts,up to my single best year of maybe 170 thousand.

        Then,a worst drought hit ,wiped me out.Since then its been 10 thousand,to 20 thousand in stock a yr, or even 2.

        I need to tell you that Hemp was legalized under the farm bill,last week,after being outlawed since the 30s,along with its psychotropic cousin marajuana.

        It will produce twice to 5 times as much crop as hay.Hay here is the 4th leading crop,corn,wheat,& soybeans produce more crop.

        The seed from hemp has apx 30 % oil,they used mostly for making oil based paint./this is a premium for a cash crop ,& hemp is one of the most drought resistant crops in the world.

        Its also made into OSB board,like plywood 4×8 sheets for building.Manila rope & twine for hay bailing.Newspaper & brown grocery bags,manila envelopes.

        Tweed usually has 20 to 40 % hemp,besides that much wool,Cotton ,& polyester can be in this for tweed for suits,besides wool & hemp.It makes burlap,& Canvas made with hemp & cotton is warmer,stronger,& lasts twice as long as just cotton canvas,for tents,sailcloth,winter outerwear,backpacks & other uniform items.
        It fights desertification,where most other stuff will die.
        I also want to say our SW States are much the same as Where you are,they brought water off the mountains in California from arounf 6 states.They are all in need of freshwater desalinization plants,& a irrigation canal system to bring saltwater inland 60 to 120 miles.This could be defrayed by fish farming along the way,I figure.
        I also want to say they have industrial extensive greenhouses that extend the growing season 6 weeks on the start & 6 weeks extension on the end of the growing season.It holds the eva[prated moisture in the greenhouses.Finally,I told the red cross I saw landfills using a water barrier under landfills & to make water bags to catch water when it does come,into the bags.They now have up to 1/3 million gallon capacity. Small farmers can get like 3 thousand gallon capacity,run pipes from gutters to thew buried bags ,from houses,outbuildings,etc.Some are setting these up as automatic watering systems for animals as well.Put such bags on trailers ,& haul to truck farm crops to stay alive.Water drawn from whatever water source is available.My dad s dad lost a general store during the depression,had to farm.He kept the meat counter filled at my great granddads more established store to make it thru the depression.Meat was a principle cash crop.Sorgum molasses was drought resistant,theres only 8 types out of maybe 108 types of sorgum that makes molasses.Molasses is also used to make rum,put into cornbread,anywhere sugar is used,better than sugar for type 2 diabetes as it has sulphur in it.After squeezing juice ,cooking it down,the rest is fed to animals.Pigs do better in poor ground.Beef takes 2 to 30 acres for ea beef…Be Self Blessed by this info Amen/Revkhbostic,non denom

      6. They are paying top dollar for food (hay) for livestock. The preppers have stocked up in advance, no doubt. Those who failed to save for a non-rainy day, are getting loans. That’s one sure way to loose the farm. One more reason some people resent bankers.

        Save ten to twenty per cent of your income in gold and silver.

        Stock up on everything. Start with canned goods. Tomato sauce eats through the can. Canned fruit in its own juice provides extra water to drink.

        _

        • Not drinking enough water causes kidney stones. Organic cranberry juice with no added sugar helps prevent kidney troubles. Keep some, drink some. 50% juice/50% mineral water

          Dried spices go a long way, take little space, have medicinal qualities for herbal remedies. For example: cinnamon lowers blood sugar, turmeric reduces pain and inflammation. Try honey and turmeric tea. It’s not bad.

          Add cinnamon to oatmeal, cookies, raisin bread. A slice of raisin bread toasted with melted butter and topped with cinnamon and sugar is a quick and delicious meal alone or with eggs and ham or bacon and sausage, or just a cup of hot coffee or hot chocolate milk.

          Don’t forget to stock up on cocoa, dried milk, and coffee. A little brandy, too! ?
          And/or vodka & gin for medicinal purposes and barter. Whiskey, rum, scotch, and beer can be used like money, wine as well.

          _

          _

        • B from CA…..A big shout out on the NON stocking of anything with tomato sauce in it. Just cleaned out the storage area from a severe leakage of cans. Leave the tomato with anything in cans alone….time will get you otherwise.

          • Your implication is that nothing is about to happen any time soon. I feel exactly the same way. I can do without “Spaghetti-O”s anytime.

      7. The problem lies with livestock producers stocking the grazing land to full carrying capacity. And any little hiccup leads to shortages. When you overgraze As the forage gets shorter the roots also shrink. Then the rain when it does come runs off and doesn’t soak into the soil. And that runoff washes the lighter organic particles away leaving the more sterile subsoil. Its dry here in the Ozarks. But I undergraze and rotate pastures and use lots of compost on my garden . Im not worried. Im still using rain water I caught to water my garden. We also place shade over some plants to shield them from the sun. Huge open ranges are often the victim of mismanagement.

      8. so….why not seed clouds and fire up the cloud making machines….these droughts seem intentional

      9. Can anyone explain why Australia has a 100 year drought, ABOUT EVERY 3-5 YEARS?

        • Better to have a 500 year drought every 20 years, no?

        • because most of Australia is semi-arid and their news organizations are bigger liars than our MSM, in pushing man caused Global warming?

        • There was once an international contest, about whether the Sequoia or Eucalyptus regnans was bigger.

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transpiration

          As it turns out, trees at the verge of rainforest (also, banana plantations) are more stunted in comparison, to those growing in the center.

          In the orange and cacao groves, other species would be planted for shade and to block wind.

          imho, the labor surplus (aka industrial army) could be used to improve the Malthusuian carrying capacity of the land, in the sense of permaculture.

      10. Been there, done that. This too shall pass.

      11. The human factor and climate change figures into all of this.

        I feel badly for the people that rely upon the Colorado River. Nevada finished a third intake in Lake Mead just three years ago in 2015 at a cost of $817-million dollars. Water levels in Lake Mead are still falling. Pictures taken at Hoover Dam in June (2018) are horrifying. Some are saying 2021 could be the end of Lake Mead as a viable water source and hydroelectricity. That does it for Las Vegas, Nevada, Arizona, and Mexico. It may even spell the end of farming in California. Of all the states relying upon the Colorado River, farming in California takes priority over all other states involved.

        All across the US, climate change is causing waters to warm in all open bodies of water. This includes lakes and reservoirs. The warming climate is causing algae blooms, the worst contain toxic amounts of cyanobacteria, commonly known as blue/green algae. These blooms are clogging fresh water intakes.

        200-years of industrial farming and the leaching of fertilizer into open bodies of water feeds these algae blooms. Also, the failure of septic systems are also making the problem worse.

        Cyanobacteria is showing up in the ponds farmers have created to water their crops.

        As cyanobacteria requires photosynthesis. Many cities, towns and villages are relying upon water brought up from wells. However, in former industrial states in the Northeast and the “Rust Belt” many wells have been found to contain toxic levels of industrial wastes and pollutants making them too polluted to be used as a source of drinking water.

        The demand for drinking is already too high. The ideal US population for the water available is estimated as no more than 150-million people, half of what it is today. And yet the government doesn’t even have a sane immigration policy anymore — just “Open Borders.”

        If we could just get demand under control the water shortage would be less impacted by factors like drought. Of course, the drought might accomplish that all by itself.

      12. Centurion – I’ve read two of John Casey’s books, Dark Winter and Upheaval and listened to both David Diller and Zharkova. If these people are right, the SHTF will come quietly without most people realizing that it is on them. This event could last for decades. I hope they’re wrong but I don’t think they are!

      13. Where I live the crops are doing great. Then again, it rains pretty hard.

      14. A couple random thoughts based on the comments.

        If raising corn postSHTF, you would leave the stalks and then come back 48 hours and boil out corn syrup. This would add to your sweeteners like maple syrup and the rare find of honey. Finding sweeteners is difficult in a disaster at least most places, but yeah sorghum for molasses is grown here and in history.

        Sepp Holder came up with the Hugelkulture concept to resist drought. When you plant, it’s creating a diverse blend versus a monocrop. I bet you try it.
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sso4UWObxXg

        It has been sucçessively replicated by many “permies” who are young homesteaders interested in permaculture.

        Drought is accelerated by a lack of windbreaks. We planted a huge amount of windbreaks during the Great Depression but morons insisted on cutting down trees because they felt the standard trees used up too much water. Thus you get into a ridiculous cycle of worse drought!

        Swales are what farmers use to maintain a “plume” of water. That is a release via cisterns.

        The Hugelkuture acts as a “sponge” and causes as slow diffusion plume of water.

        On a small scale, a soaker hose is far more efficient with less evaporation from watering and this small difference adds up in drought prone areas.

        Having lved in three tropical zones with lots of mosquitoes and zero air conditioning and being a skinflint with money so much that I actually drove a vehicle without air conditioner, and growing up with no air conditioning with extremely hot summers with high humdity, then I laugh at high temps when people complain.

        So what if you sweat!

      15. Kidney stones are common when people eat lots of cruciferous vegetables and lots of meadow greens to get calcium. These have lots of calcium oxalate. In a disaster situation with little milk, your medics would see lots of kidney stone formation.

        You would begin to see lots of irritable bowel syndrome due to STRESS coupled with unusually high intake of salad because it take a whopping amount to get the required calcium. The best treatment is slippery elm as it soothes the intestinal irritation.

        Of course you would start seeing lots of bone ailments like osteoporosis, rickets, spine issues from labor and inadequate calcium, pregnant moms having a much higher rate of back pain, teeth issues from makeshift milling milling grains and grit and the body robbing calcium, etc.

      16. In a disaster and especially with drought, then multiple health issues occur.

        Your kids always have less control of their basal temperature but are used to getting a drink when their dehydration registers thirst triggers a desire to be quenched. But water may not be available and a lot of work and they will drink your preps by raiding the stash when instead they should get water. They could end up easily having heat exhaustion and often dehydration gets masked with hunger. Likewise eating wild edibles means a lot of natural diuretics. Their electrolytes get out of wack and your aging parent or inlaw may get heart palputations.

        Meanwhile, your livestock needs far MORE and might die and all at once when you are ill equipped to butcher and render the fat. This happened frequently during the Dust Bowel in the USA during the Great Depression.

        Simultaneously coccidiodes mycosis ie valley fever is caused by aerated soil particulates and fungal spores and bacteria and viruses in a melange. That killed lots of children during the Dust Bowl.

      17. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcEiW2Uv95I

        This ruined people because it made the soil sterile, they lost top soil, their livestock was dead, their crops were dead, their orchards were dead, their children were starving and dehydrated and often sickened by valley fever, then died.

        They made homemade masks from cloth to little effect as they contained to inhaled so much particulates. Then survivors had persistent health issues.

      18. Ive shifted from a traditional garden where you have to annually till the soil and plant in bare soil and weed and fight moles and other pest. To growing most things in containers. A mix of soil compost and a mulch. And not hard to tend. and I can move those plastic tubs out in the sun or over into the shade when conditions warrant. I have been thinking of building a green house on a trailer. So I can move it around. even put it in the barn if necessary. I never make hay when the weather is hot. I simply let my fields grow all summer long and the grasses go to seed. Then when it cools off around sept I mow and bale my fields. That overgrowth shaded the ground and every rain during the summer soaked in. and as soon as I mow & bale the cool season fall grasses and clover starts growing. Other folks make two or three cuttings. They pour out chemical fertilizer in the spring & spray for weeds. And after mowing the sun bakes the ground. The heavy rains don’t soak in. The rain carries away the organic material and topsoil. My fence rows are overgrown and twenty feet back from the creek bank is overgrown. I try to feed my hay on the same field it was bailed from. That way the organic material is returned and not depleted.

      Commenting Policy:

      Some comments on this web site are automatically moderated through our Spam protection systems. Please be patient if your comment isn’t immediately available. We’re not trying to censor you, the system just wants to make sure you’re not a robot posting random spam.

      This website thrives because of its community. While we support lively debates and understand that people get excited, frustrated or angry at times, we ask that the conversation remain civil. Racism, to include any religious affiliation, will not be tolerated on this site, including the disparagement of people in the comments section.