Century-old farm closes
$1 milk and prolonged drought leaves farmers no choice but to sell herd
REMAINING cattle on the Mengels’ dairy farm will head to the meatworks in the next month.
Felton farmers Rowan and Isabel Mengel made the heartbreaking decision last year to close their 100-yearold dairy, due to low milk prices and years of drought.
The couple told Rural Weekly last October they were hoping to keep 300–400 of their herd but ongoing dry conditions throughout summer left the couple with no option but to sell the stock.
When Rural Weekly followed up with Rowan and Isabel on Monday, they said once the last load of cattle went, they would have sold close to 900 head.
“Nobody is buying, no one has any feed and no one wants to increase their herd,” Rowan said.
“They’re de-stocking, not restocking.
“So a really good breeding herd – they hadn’t even started breeding, they were maiden heifers – have all gone to the meatworks. It’s just wrong.”
Rowan made the life-changing decision to give up his passion and close the dairy in order to keep the farm.
He said he would never go back to dairying.
“There is no incentive to go back,” Rowan said.
“We’ve got no feed, all my cows are gone, the milk price hasn’t changed, so why would you go back?”
Rowan plans on growing hay and grain to support the farm in the future.
However without more rain, it may be a while before any crops are put in the ground.
“I don’t think Rowan will ever retire,” Isabel said.
“He’s just waiting for rain but we need a hell of a lot more rain.
“We need about six inches of very soaking rain. The ground is in very poor condition, it’s very dry.
“We’ve only had one inch so we can’t plant yet. We’re crossing our fingers and toes for more rain in the next few weeks.”
Rowan has been growing crops his whole life in order to feed his cattle. The Mengels have a few dexter cattle, which they will keep.
“We’ll mainly be focusing on crops,” Isabel said.
“Because that’s what Rowan is good at, he’s been growing fodder. So he’s going to keep doing that, just not feeding his own cows.”
Isabel has been working part-time as a registered nurse at Toowoomba Base Hospital in order to help keep the farm going.
“I had to,” she said. “But this (farming) is all Rowan has ever done.”
When $1-a-litre milk started eight years ago, the Mengels lost $80,000 a year in income.
“They (the government) said, ‘Oh it won’t affect the farm gate price’ but within two weeks we had a knock on the door from Palmalat with a new contract for $80,000 less a year,” Isabel said.
“So it did affect the farmer and it’s just not right.”
Rowan said he was just keeping his head above water when the weather was good because he could grow his own feed but it all went down hill when the drought started.
“If $1-a-litre milk hadn’t come in and we had been $80,000 better off then perhaps we could have survived the drought,” Isabel said.
“But with a hit like that $1 milk, then the drought, there’s no hope.”
The Mengels said they hoped the younger generation of dairy farmers would make enough noise that people would sit up and realise what was happening to the industry.
“Some of these townies don’t know what’s going on,” Rowan said.
“We were in Plainlands at the coffee shop and Issy grabbed the 600ml of water and it was $2. And Issy told the girl behind the counter. ‘Water is dearer than milk.’
“And the girl said, ‘Well how could that be?’ – she wasn’t even aware of it.”
Isabel said the younger generation wasn’t prepared to work for nothing.
“I’m glad because they will make a lot of noise and I hope they make a lot of noise,” she said.
“Who would work seven days a week, 12 hours a day, for nothing? I think the younger generation want a reward and so they should, we all deserve a reward for our work.
“Dairy farmers are usually very quiet and go about their business but these younger dairy farmers want something for their efforts and they’re not getting it. So hopefully they will make enough noise that the politicians will pay attention.”
Isabel said Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud needed to “grow some” and stop processors and supermarkets from taking advantage of farmers.
“The dairy farmers are struggling,” she said.
“They’re not getting any help. They’re living on the same wages they were 10 years ago. Costs have gone up. We were employing six people – the wages, superannuation, WorkCover plus feed costs, electricity. Everything has gone up except dairy farmers’ income, that goes backwards.
“Our government needs to stand up and be accountable, because they are destroying the industry.
“I challenge ScoMo and David Littleproud to live off the wages of 10 years ago. I’ve challenged them to come visit us and have a look first-hand at what your actions have done and what will happen to the industry and every dairy farmer.
“They’re just going to close and there will be no milk.”