Andrew Kennon has seen it all. He as worked his 50-hectare farm in the drought-affected Barwon region for the last 40 years.

Since 1985, Andrew has raised and bred sheep on his farm at Freshwater Creek, firstly for their wool, before moving to “fat lamb production” following the fall of wool prices in the early 1990s.

Andrew also grows 18 acres of trees on his farm, separated into different forests named “bottom forest”, “middle forest”, and “top forest”.

“Tree planting has been a big project of mine,” Andrew says.

For the last 20 years, Andrew has spent three or four days a week working on his farm. As Andrew said, he “really likes” farming. He finds it “very interesting”.

“There are hard times, but there are also rewarding times,” Andrew says.

Technology advancements in the agricultural sector have made it easier for Andrew in recent years, with upgraded tractors and field bins providing help as he “gets older”.

Also helping is the “whole new revolution” in sheep breeding called ‘Shedding Sheep’, where the sheep don’t require shaving for their wool.

The drought currently affecting south-west Victoria is hitting unfortunate milestones, with the region in the midst of its driest period since records began in 1900.

Andrew says the drought’s ongoing effects are “concerning”, due to the amount he is being forced to spend on feed for his lambs.

As Andrew’s ewes get closer to lambing, or giving birth, their feed intake has to be doubled, from 1.5kg per ewe to around 3kg, in order to support the pregnancy.

“It’s quite disheartening at times when you’re completely reliant on hand-feeding the sheep and you have to increase the grain supply,” Andrew says.

Following a good year in 2022, at the end of the La Niña weather cycle, Andrew tried to improve his drought-tolerant pastures, but that hasn’t worked “because we haven’t had the rain to grow the grass” over the past few years.

As more farmers continue to feel the effects of the drought, the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action has offered grants to farmers in the region, which Andrew used to deepen dams on his property.

Since this time last year, over 1000 farmers in the south-west of Victoria have accessed grants through this program.

“All the dams went dry in most places, so water became a big, big issue… I had one dam out of ten that had any water in it at all,” Andrew says.

Andrew says farmers are “reasonably satisfied” with state government support for drought-affected farmers.

“Whether the government can do more, I don’t know,” Andrew says.

He says he doesn’t “know anybody personally” within the Barwon region that has been forced to sell because of the drought.

“Most people seem to be able to survive, and there’s nobody being driven off the land like there has been in the past in the Mallee and the Wimmera in dry times,” he says.

Andrew says the local land group, Best Wool, is a key support service for farmers.

“We’re happy with the service provided,” he says. “We’ve had drought strategy seminars, and they’ve been helpful.”

But Andrew feels there is a need to increase mental health support in farming-centred areas state-wide.

“I think that’d be a really good study to do on mental health services available in rural and regional areas in Victoria,” he says.

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