A panel of special guests, morning and afternoon tea, and a native flower workshop are planned for Blooming in the Dry, an event dedicated to farming women, including farmers’ wives.
Organiser Renee Pichler, who worked with Sue Walley of Fab Flowers Kyabram Florist and Nursery to create the event, said it aimed to give attendees a well-deserved break amid difficult farming conditions.
“It’s going to be a place where they can come and take a load off, relax, and get a bit of pampering. A special time for them, basically,” she said.
“The female farmers can get overlooked sometimes. They definitely carry a lot of the load with what’s going on emotionally if they’re trying to balance the whole household.”
Camel Milk Co owner and farmer Megan Williams said the greatest challenge facing farmers in the region recently had been the drier weather.
The price of commodities, including water, fertiliser and seed, went up in the absence of rain, and farmers have had to use their feed reserves.
Luckily, Mrs Williams hasn’t needed to buy extra feed, but she said those who had were being stung by rising prices.
“It’s doubled. I’ve never seen (the prices) do such a crazy jump because there’s just no feed around,” she said.
“That’s just for us in Victoria, but because there’s been floods up in Queensland and dry weather over in South Australia as well, so a lot of our fodder is leaving the region.”
From a wellbeing perspective, the stress of climbing costs and little rain leads to added pressure when making important decisions.
On farms led by a man, Mrs Williams said the heightened tension could spill over to a wife or partner.
“I think people underestimate how much pressure it puts on her,” she said.
“Especially if she’s maintaining a home and children, the extra pressure and financial strain that puts on people could be huge.”
Mrs Williams is part of the guest panel speaking at Blooming in the Dry, and is hoping to connect with attendees and remind them they aren’t alone in their struggle.
She will be joined by panellists Tess Brookman, a psychologist and Farm Angels ambassador, and Shannon Miller, an experienced social worker at Evoke Coaching.
The panel will be moderated by Liz Spicer, and the event is sponsored by the Look Over the Gate community grants program from the National Centre for Farmer Health.
It will be held at the Kyabram Plaza Theatre from 1pm to 3pm on Saturday, August 16.
Limited seats are available, and can be booked by visiting Fab Flowers Kyabram Florist and nursery, or phoning Renee on 0413 241 367.
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