Praying for rain - Alf King
Donation protected
Our desperate plight to save our cattle in the worst drought in living memory. My 83 year old dad, Alf prays desperately for much needed rain to soak our parched NSW property at " Doctors Creek", just out side Bingara in Northern NSW. I am the 4th generation of the King family to own and operate our 2000 acre farm beside my dad, producing Beef cattle. This year I have sold half our breeding cows that were 7 months in calf. Most were purchased by the abbattoirs and killed for meat and their unborn calf's fetal blood. This was extremely upsetting and a very hard decision to make, one we can never fully recover from.
This week I have sold another 27 steers so I can purchase another
load of cotton seed to help keep my remaining stock alive.
We have not received any assistance from the Government as I have no entitlement due to receiving a small Military pension after 20 years Regular Army service. I am entitled to receive 50 % rebate for transporting feed and water for my cows. I applied months ago but have not received any refund, or assistance (hay) from the large charities associated with drought relief for farmers.
It is also the first time in the history of our farm that we have had no water.
All but two of 35 dams are dry and have been for the last 18 months. The two that have a small amount of water, are fenced off to stop cows from being bogged and dying.
Any funds raised will be spent 100% on purchasing feed and water for our livestock. I cart almost all water required on the farm, even drinking water, from town each day, 2000 Litres at a time.
We are very proud farmers and have never been in a situation like this before. We know that if we want to keep the rest of our animals alive we cannot do it alone. We NEED your help.
We will be eternally grateful for any support or assistance you may wish to give us to help save our livestock, which can never be replaced.
Kindest regards
Alf and Rhonda King
A follow up story was published in Jul 19. Our struggle has not been any easier since the first story went viral. We have continued selling our cattle and are desperately trying to save the last of our stud breeding stock. You can read this article at the following link
https://au.news.yahoo.com/desolate-photo-of-nsw-property-shows-droughts-toll-014111906.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=ma
This week I have sold another 27 steers so I can purchase another
load of cotton seed to help keep my remaining stock alive.
We have not received any assistance from the Government as I have no entitlement due to receiving a small Military pension after 20 years Regular Army service. I am entitled to receive 50 % rebate for transporting feed and water for my cows. I applied months ago but have not received any refund, or assistance (hay) from the large charities associated with drought relief for farmers.
It is also the first time in the history of our farm that we have had no water.
All but two of 35 dams are dry and have been for the last 18 months. The two that have a small amount of water, are fenced off to stop cows from being bogged and dying.
Any funds raised will be spent 100% on purchasing feed and water for our livestock. I cart almost all water required on the farm, even drinking water, from town each day, 2000 Litres at a time.
We are very proud farmers and have never been in a situation like this before. We know that if we want to keep the rest of our animals alive we cannot do it alone. We NEED your help.
We will be eternally grateful for any support or assistance you may wish to give us to help save our livestock, which can never be replaced.
Kindest regards
Alf and Rhonda King
A follow up story was published in Jul 19. Our struggle has not been any easier since the first story went viral. We have continued selling our cattle and are desperately trying to save the last of our stud breeding stock. You can read this article at the following link
https://au.news.yahoo.com/desolate-photo-of-nsw-property-shows-droughts-toll-014111906.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=ma
Organizer
Rhonda King
Organizer