{"id":546299,"date":"2026-01-27T07:14:22","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T07:14:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/546299\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T07:14:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T07:14:22","slug":"emergency-feed-arrives-for-remote-wa-pastoralists-amid-worst-drought-in-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/546299\/","title":{"rendered":"Emergency feed arrives for remote WA pastoralists amid worst drought in decades"},"content":{"rendered":"

Years of little rainfall across an enormous stretch of Western Australia have given way to what some pastoralists are calling their worst drought in decades.<\/p>\n

Cattle stations across WA’s remote Midwest, Murchison and Gascoyne, an area larger than the state of Victoria, have received barely half their average annual rainfall in recent years.<\/p>\n

While some are drier than others, it has forced 34 properties to call for help.<\/p>\n

That call was answered in force by WA’s agricultural community over the weekend, with seven road trains stacked high with emergency feed arriving in Gascoyne Junction, 945 kilometres north of Perth.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

Seven road trains have carried emergency feed to Gascoyne Junction. (ABC News: Alistair Bates)<\/p>\n

The delivery of hundreds of hay bales was a welcome sight for pastoralists like Hamish McTaggart from Bidgemia Station.<\/p>\n

Mr McTaggart told the ABC his property was experiencing its driest spell in 15 years, and possibly one of the worst since records began in 1875.<\/p>\n

“There is a point where it doesn’t matter how good you are as a farmer, the system just breaks down,” he said.<\/p>\n

“We’re at that point at the moment.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Hamish McTaggart says he is experiencing one of the worst dry periods ever recorded at Bidgemia Station. (ABC News: Alistair Bates)<\/p>\n

Mr McTaggart said the uncertainty was taking a toll.<\/p>\n

“You don’t know when the end will be, so you’re always hopeful that rain is just around the corner,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Not knowing where the end of it is \u2014 that’s what worries you.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

More feed is due to head to the Upper Gascoyne in the coming weeks. (ABC Pilbara: Georgia Hargreaves)<\/p>\n

It is a similar story 150km to the east at Landor Station, where owner Ritchie Brennan told the WA Country Hour he had gone three years without decent rainfall.<\/p>\n

“It’s the driest it’s ever been since we’ve owned it,” he said.<\/p>\n

Mr Brennan purchased Landor Station 28 years ago.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Some stations in the Upper Gascoyne have not recorded a drop of rain in three years. (ABC Pilbara: Alistair Bates)<\/p>\n

Aid almost derailed by bushfires<\/p>\n

Farmers Across Borders vice president Roley Pearce said the land’s poor condition was clear as he made the 1,700km journey north.<\/p>\n

“It’s just devastating,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Roley Pearce led the Farmers Across Borders convoy. (ABC Pilbara: Alistair Bates)<\/p>\n

More road trains are expected to arrive in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

Bushfires raging in WA’s South West and Great Southern<\/a> caused route and personnel changes up until the moment of departure.<\/p>\n

“We’ve lost a few of the trucks that were coming on the run because the drivers are off fighting fires,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Otherwise, we would have had another four trucks here today.”<\/p>\n

\"Men<\/p>\n

Truckies and pastoralists swapped stories at the local watering hole. (ABC Pilbara: Alistair Bates)<\/p>\n

Despite the challenges, he said the act of compassion was as important as the hay itself.<\/p>\n

“At the end of it, a lot of the station owners have got that thought that somebody else does care about them, that they’re not on their own,” Mr Pearce said.<\/p>\n

“That’s what we’re up against.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Calls for state government support<\/p>\n

This was the latest convoy launched by Farmers Across Borders, with the group establishing a reputation for the long-distance delivery of emergency feed.<\/p>\n

Last year, the group rallied 85 trucks to deliver 6,000 bales of hay and straw to drought-stricken pastoralists<\/a> in South Australia.<\/p>\n

The run was subsidised by the South Australian government, which covered freight costs.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

Jim Caunt is calling for the state government to pitch in. (ABC Pilbara: Alistair Bates)<\/p>\n

Upper Gascoyne Shire President Jim Caunt said he wrote to WA Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis to ask if she would consider a similar scheme.<\/p>\n

He is yet to receive a response.<\/p>\n

“You’ve only got to look around here at just how spirits are lifted \u2026 from a half dozen trailers of hay that have arrived,” he said.<\/p>\n

“We need the support of the state government so that this can continue.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Fuel for just one road train to and from Gascoyne Junction costs the charity group about $5,000, according to Mr Pearce.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Several pastoralists have destocked, with not enough feed to go around. (ABC Pilbara: Georgia Hargreaves)<\/p>\n

Ms Jarvis declined to be interviewed.<\/p>\n

But in a statement, she commended the organisation for its efforts and recognised some parts of the state had been more impacted due to “increased climate variability”.<\/p>\n

“I am currently seeking advice from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development on this evolving situation,” she said.<\/p>\n

“There is also a range of supports available through the Australian Government at Drought, disaster and rural support \u2014 DAFF.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Years of little rainfall across an enormous stretch of Western Australia have given way to what some pastoralists…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":546300,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[6772,112438,240257,746,8071,240254,240255,1171,240256,159,17541,67,132,68,8632],"class_list":{"0":"post-546299","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-drought","9":"tag-dry-conditions","10":"tag-dry-season","11":"tag-environment","12":"tag-extreme-weather","13":"tag-farmers-across-borders","14":"tag-hay-run","15":"tag-heatwave","16":"tag-livestock-relief","17":"tag-science","18":"tag-temperatures","19":"tag-united-states","20":"tag-unitedstates","21":"tag-us","22":"tag-wa-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115965831909054561","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=546299"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546299\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/546300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=546299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=546299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=546299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}