Since he was a young boy, Hugh Dunn has wanted to get among the shearing sheds, working alongside his father and brothers as they continue the generations of shearing work that have been integral to the farming communities in the Hamilton area.

Born and raised on his family farm, Hugh has witnessed the devastating effects of ongoing drought—seeing firsthand the relentless toll it takes on crops, livestock, and those around him. “We weren’t just losing our animals,” Hugh says. “We’re losing part of who we are. What’s a shearer without any sheep?”

While some recent rain has provided relief, this has been too little, too late for many farmers who have been forced to buy feed supply; an extra, costly challenge for farmers already facing insurmountable financial pressures from consecutive seasons marked by poor harvests and low yields. When local feed suppliers have been unable to meet supply, “de-stocking” has become the inevitable outcome. Selling an entire a mob can signal the devastating end to a generation of farming, as many in the Hamilton community built their farms from scratch against the backdrop of the harsh Australian conditions.

“Our family station was a lot more than just a business, but the crux of the family, it’s almost a spiritual home,” says Hugh.

For Hugh, finishing boarding school in Adelaide meant a return to the region, where he eagerly took up crutching work in alongside his brother, a well-established local shearer. “In my family, the first step in the agricultural industry is to become a shearer and follow in my family’s footsteps,” he says “Starting [that] makes me feel close to the men in my family.”

Yet, young crutchers like Hugh have not been spared from the crippling economic effects of drought. Its insidious challenges flow through the community, right from the larger merchants, through to the local pub. “When farmers aren’t able to keep their stock on, they are more likely to tend to their smaller mobs themselves, leaving us with fewer opportunities to work,” says Hugh.

The downturn has also been felt by others such as Matt Kelly, a Hamilton sheep farmer. Matt’s business has incurred significant costs because he has not been able to feed for his sheep in the usual way. He says that causes a knock-on effect. “Through times of drought, prices for stock are under pressure, which creates a glut in the market, which pushes prices down, which means we have to sell sheep at undervalued prices, putting huge financial stress on my income,” Matt says.

With no guarantee that conditions will ease to make farming any easier, shearers are expecting work to become even more scarce. Hugh lists rising labour costs, an aging workforce, and the cumulative impacts of climate change as factors “which concern me for the future”. Although he has just started working towards being a shearer, witnessing the harsh reality of drought so soon means he’s now re-thinking his career choice.

Going off to university to study sustainable farming seems as good an option as “working on the tools”. “Learning about how to restore the land will help me to rebuild the farms so that we can go forward and tackle the challenges of climate change more appropriately and keep things for future generations,” he says. As the frequent dry seasons seemingly stretch on longer each year, the determination of those connected to the land is stronger than any drought.

This story is part of a project exploring regional Victoria and the issues farmers are facing. See the whole collection here.