Buy photos to help farmer
Droughted family sells rural images to feed their livestock
AFTER seven long years of well-below-average rainfall and living the relentless daily slog of handfeeding stock, a NSW grazing family has come up with a clever solution to generate hay money.
They can’t grow grass at the moment but they can sell beautiful pictures of the great body of grass that once was.
A GoFundMe page has been launched, basically, to trade striking rural photos for bales of hay.
The farmer behind the initiative is a private person.
Talking to the Rural Weekly she stressed she wasn’t “looking for a handout” and the initiative wasn’t about seeking donations – the Photos for Feed platform was simply her family’s bid at creating a cash flow. It took an awful lot of courage for her to accept help from her cousin to create the GoFundMe page initially.
She feels her family’s story is shared by many on the land, so she has penned a powerful message explaining where the concept comes from.
These are her words:
Grazier’s message
My husband’s family has been associated with the land for eight generations.
It started with a pioneer pastoralist immigrating to Australia in 1802, who died in 1840 leaving an estate owning a string of grazing properties running from Surat to Sydney.
We are well acquainted with drought, and difficult conditions.
But this is extreme. Since 2012 we’ve had less than 30 per cent of our average monthly rainfall per year (88 months).
Our average annual rainfall is 400mm (16 inches).
This year, we have recorded 70 points, or less than one inch on the old measurements.
This has come alongside extreme heat, winds and dust.
Currently we are hand feeding everything we own and our cattle numbers are down to 20 per cent of the usual herd.
This week we ran out of water for the garden (our respite from all things brown, dry or dusty).
We watered the garden from what has always been a permanent natural 2km water hole, now it only has 30 metres of slurry.
Everything is very testing at the moment.
We truly don’t want handouts, instead we are looking at other ways to supplement our income, hoping to sell another of our resources and find a way to create some cash flow so that we can keep buying feed for our remaining cattle, without going into more debt.
So, over the years, in my spare time, ie while waiting for the school bus or the mailman, changing over stock horses, walking cattle to yards, during smoko, and so on, I have taken many photos of our land, its grass, its sunsets, its beauty and its harshness.
Now that we are not able to produce grass, we thought that maybe I could sell some photos of grass, and some photos of no grass.
Perhaps it will be the start of another income that’s also produced by our land.
Please support our new venture and help us stay drought resilient.
Interested?
The images vary from captivating sunsets, to barren paddocks and shots of people mustering.
The photos are totally unique and sell for $220, which is the going rate for a bale of hay.
One picture buys one bale. At the moment there are 10 images ready for purchase online, more will become available if demand continues.
For more information search “Buy a photo to buy feed for cattle” online at www.gofundme.com.
andrea.davy@ruralweekly.com.au
WE ARE WELL ACQUAINTED WITH DROUGHT, AND DIFFICULT CONDITIONS.
BUT THIS IS EXTREME. SINCE 2012 WE’VE HAD LESS THAN 30 PER CENT OF OUR AVERAGE MONTHLY RAINFALL PER YEAR
NSW GRAZIER