Hand feeding sheep and cattle is beginning to feel like "groundhog day" for Kangaroo Island farmers who have had their driest start to a season in two decades.
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A poor spring last year means many have been feeding out hay and grain for six months, but despite this they are remaining "pragmatic" about the situation as they patiently await rain.
Feed trailers and hay forks are a common sight across the island, while 2024 rainfall figures paint a picture of their own.
Parndana has received 31 millimetres for the year, just 15 per cent of its average until this time of year.
Kingscote has had 24mm compared to a January to May average of 138.5mm, while Cape Borda has had just 21mm, only 13pc of it's year-to-date average.
Carly Bussenschutt, who runs 2700 Merino ewes near Parndana with husband Adam, has been feeding sheep since December.
While it is a costly exercise and "feels a bit like groundhog day", the Bussenschutts have confinement paddocks and have a positive outlook as they keep condition on pregnant ewes.
"We take the attitude you start feeding early and maintain weight, rather than let them lose a lot of weight because it takes more feed to put it back on them," Mrs Bussenchutt said.
"Hopefully that holds us in good stead this season.
"I feel like most farmers on KI are switched on and understand nutritional requirements, their budgets, and have done risk planning.
"We know this can happen, it's not ideal, but it can happen."
Mrs Bussenschutt says most farmers are "pragmatic" about the situation, but financial stress is starting to weigh following poor commodity prices received for livestock during spring, and the feed bills being incurred.
Lang Wilmott runs 300 Angus cows at Cape Borda and has had to offload some heifers as the dry spell drags on.
Growing perennial pastures and cell grazing their herd means the Wilmotts usually don't have to use additional feed, but they have resorted to feeding hay in an effort not to overgraze their pastures.
"We're juggling that fine line by having to destock a few heifers to take some pressure off the perennials, otherwise we're going to go backwards ten years in one year," Mr Wilmott said.
"We've got feed in the perennials so we keep checking the radar and if we get rain hopefully that'll get away pretty quick because we don't have to wait for germination.
"We're basically at the point where we'll have to destock more to take pressure off. It's a challenge because trying to restock here is difficult because of the huge overhead costs of shipping animals off and on the island."
Hay stocks across the island are also starting to run low, a challenge exacerbated by one of SeaLink's two ferries being out of action until June 1.
The council has called for an "immediate solution" to transport adequate hay and grain to the island, such as a barge to transport essential freight.
"An alternate such as this, will provide a lifeline to our producers and other businesses across the Island during this challenging period," said KI mayor Michael Pengilly.
The Island's cropping sector is also feeling the pinch, with broadacre farmers pulling up to wait for rain before they complete their programs.
Pontifex Farms KI operations manager Greg Harvie said the team had broadcast sown 1770 hectares of cereals with a plane and was starting on canola with a traditional seeder.
They grow cereals, canola and broad beans across 4200 hectares on central and southern parts of the island.
"Because it's been so dry for so long we're finding our soil is really compact so trying to get seed depth is a problem at the moment," Mr Harvie said.
"We'll be stopping before moving onto some Bay of Biscay soils that are going to canola, because we're concerned we won't be able to get any depth into that."
