UPPER Mid North farmers were the recent recipients of more than 200 tonnes of donated hay, as the drought continues to strengthen its grip on the region.
Late last month, Muslim Aid Australia, in association with partners Islamic Society of SA, Muslim Charitable Foundation, Deen Family and ground partner Helping SA Farmers successfully delivered the hay from Roseworthy to Peterborough.
The donation assisted 60 severely-affected farming families in Peterborough, Cradock, Sunnybrae, Yongala, Dawson, Cavenagh and Orroroo.
This also included Worlds End farmer Simon Schmidt.
"I've been farming all my life, and we've never seen conditions this bad," he said.
"We just want our situation to be recognised. It's just disheartening to SA farmers that when the media do a news flash, they just focus on NSW.
"I haven't made an income in the past three years despite doing a 70-hour week.
"I'm just grateful for what you are doing for the drought."
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The hay drop was on the back of a similar operation by MAA in Qld in November, and continues from last year's multiple rounds of relief work targeting Australian farmers which also involved distribution of over 130t of hay bales and hundreds of food hampers in Goondiwindi on the NSW-Qld border.
Helping SA Farmers director Lisa Vassallo believed the distribution of more than 570 hay bales was one of the biggest to take place in SA.
"A big thank you to Muslim Aid Australia for making a difference to the lives of our SA farmers. It is such a fair dinkum gathering of true Aussie spirit seeing so many come together to execute this," she said.
"What an amazing show of strength and unity in today's hay run."
MAA's SA Drought Relief operation was a result of combined efforts from donors, truck drivers from Adelaide, Brisbane and Alice Springs, and several community organisations across Australia.
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