FOR Barossa graziers, the sight of their paddocks up in flames is becoming an all too familiar sight, with significant blazes affecting the region for the second time this year.
On Tuesday last week, two bushfires broke out away from the January fireground - one in the north and another in the south - but with changing wind direction, both ended up on the previous fire scar.
“With winds gusting to 65kph, it was amazing how much heat the fire generated and how fast the fire raced across the lowered fuel load of the previous fire scar, and we were lucky to get it contained the next morning," Wilton farmer and Angaston Ag Bureau member Mark Grossman said.
"Thankfully there was no loss of life or livestock, but as graziers know, the journey to rebuild fences, and feed and manage livestock to the break of season and into the winter is a demanding challenge.
“The combined fires are only 10 per cent of area the January fire, but it’s estimated that the livestock under management on these properties is double that - 20,000 sheep, 1,000 cows - because of the higher rainfall and more intensive grazing areas affected this time.
"From the January fire, we know how big a drain it is on landholders and local CFS crews' physical and mental health to continue to mop-up and control break outs as the magnificent red and blue gum trees fall onto unburnt ground and re-ignite."
The January the fire smouldered for three weeks before 100 millimetres of summer rain fell.
"We now have some properties that have been significantly burnt out twice within 11 months, and this time their neighbours who offered a lot of recovery assistance back in the autumn, have now suffered as well," Mr Grossman said.
“The community valued the previous help and assistance offered, and did their best to thank people at that time, and are now are a little hesitant to be in the same situation so soon. But that is agriculture, and so the Angaston Ag Bureau is working in conjunction with Primary Producers SA and Livestock SA and is rallying once gain to put a call out for mop-up crews, sheep, fodder, fencing crews."
Anyone wishing to donate feed or to offer agistment is asked to ring Livestock SA on 8297 2299 or email admin@livestocksa.org.au.
