Latest news with #FleurieuPeninsula
ABC News
27-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Hay shortage and high prices causing concern for farmers amid ongoing drought
South Australian farmers say "there's no hay" in the state, and where it is available, it has reached unsustainable prices, as southern parts of the country battle ongoing drought conditions. David Mews runs a horse sanctuary in the Adelaide Hills and was grateful he had enough hay for the horses he looks after, some of which have been surrendered due to owners struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and feeding the animals. "There's no hay in South Australia," he said. The not-for-profit charity, Windamere Horse Haven, usually just breaks even, but it is down tens of thousands of dollars this financial year. "We had to buy [the hay] all up front this year, so that was all the hay money we normally pay across the year, was in one big chunk," he said. "Which impacted our ability to buy other essentials that we need, like hard feed, to pay our vet bills, to pay our farrier bills." It is not just a short-term concern though, and while there has been significant rain seen in SA recently, Mr Mews is worried there could be longer-term issues. It is a similar story in what should be one of the lusher parts of SA, where Robert Brokenshire is a dairy farmer on SA's Fleurieu Peninsula. As president of the state's dairy association, he hears from a lot of struggling farmers. "We've got some dairy farmers spending up to $40,000 a week buying fodder; that's not sustainable," he said. "But we're running out of fodder in South Australia." Mr Brokenshire said fodder was now being sourced from interstate, but he was worried about what would happen if the drought does not break. "If South Australia and Victoria don't get a good spring, there won't be any fodder," he said. "South Australia in the past has been the state that's provided fodder to the other states. "This time we're having to source that fodder from New South Wales and Queensland at a time when they need it themselves." Mr Brokenshire wants the federal government to visit the state and see the situation firsthand. Agriculture Minister Julie Collins will be in South Australia on Wednesday to announce a $36 million extension to the Future Drought Fund Communities Program, which has been extended for another four years. There will also be an extra $800,000 to Rural Financial Counselling Service providers in South Australia and Victoria. The state government also has a suite of resources for drought-affected farmers, including money for charities providing hay. Graham Cockerell from Need for Feed in Victoria said the organisation was coming up to 20 years of providing hay for farmers in need. "We've seen a lot of drought and a lot of disasters; this one would rate up there with the worst of the droughts that we've seen in the worst-hit parts of South Australia," he said. The charity has provided nine runs of hay, with a tenth planned, to farmers in South Australia throughout the ongoing drought conditions, which has helped hundreds of farmers. "While that amount of hay won't rescue anyone's farm business, what it does do, and to us the most important part, is that it's letting those farmers know that somebody cares," he said.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Fisherman's alarming sighting in popular marina as crisis worsens: 'Never seen it before'
An unexpected visitor to a popular marina in South Australia has created a stir, with local fishermen saying they've never seen anything like it. A juvenile great white was spotted cruising the shallows of Wirrina Cove, leading some to wonder if the state's algal bloom crisis is behind the predator's behaviour. Jarrod Glaister, owner and skipper of Southern Fishing Charters, told Yahoo News he initially thought the animal was a dolphin and was shocked to see a great white in the marina. 'I've never seen it before,' he said. While doing maintenance on his boat Jarrod spotted the shark alongside the vessel, and could still see it swimming around hours later. "He's still kicking around, he's stuck in the marina," Jarrod said. "He's just swimming around." While the shark had attracted the attention of a couple of onlookers, Jarrod predicted it wouldn't be long before word spread and more people came to the marina for a look. The toxic algal bloom is suffocating marine life off the South Australian coast, killing more than 200 aquatic species, including protected sea dragons and sharks. A mob of kangaroos were also euthanised after eating toxic grass near the algal bloom. In April, a great white shark was rescued from a sandbar near Tiddy Widdy Beach, while in May another great white couldn't be saved after washing up at Henley Beach. The Fleurieu Peninsula, which includes Wirrina Cove, has been largely impacted by the algae explosion. Professor Culum Brown, behavioural ecologist at Macquarie University, said the region has a healthy shark population and it's not uncommon for juvenile white sharks to be spotted close to shore. "I have no doubt white sharks swim by marinas from time to time. There is no reason why they wouldn't be there," Prof Brown told Yahoo News. He added the shark looked "disorientated", and couldn't rule out the algae bloom as the cause. "That whole area is having an issue with raised water temps and high plankton counts so it might be related, but who can really say," he said. "Algal blooms are problematic for two main reasons: 1) they can be toxic in their own right, and 2) they can starve the water of oxygen. "If you combine that with high water temperatures, where O2 levels are already lower, then you have a problem." Experts have described the scenes, which began in early March, as a "horror movie for fish". With barely any rain or wind forecast across the region over the next week, the algae bloom is only expected to worsen. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
