Now here’s the not so good news – the unrelenting drought is affecting 99.8 per cent of the state and it’s so severe that an increasing number of farmers are at breaking point.

Many can’t afford to put food on the table, are struggling to find – and pay – for feed to keep their animals alive, and some families have the bank on the door step because they have no income to make loan repayments. 

More than 100 new farmers are putting their hands up for help through The Big Dry Drought Appeal – a partnership between Fairfax Media, Macquarie Radio and charity Buy A Bale – every week.

The appeal has 9000 bales of hay – equivalent to 200 truck loads – that are about to make their way to farms across the state. 

It comes as NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told the crowd at the NSW Farmers annual conference this week that “if there is more to do we will do it.”

NSW Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair echoed those calls, saying the government would respond but “we need to make sure what we come up with is appropriate for now”.

Farmer Cassandra McLaren, founder of the One Day Closer to Rain Facebook page, questioned how bad things had to get before the government unleashed adequate support to prevent farming families from extinction.

She applauded NSW Tourism Minister Adam Marshall who told Fairfax Media this week that the government should set up a fodder distribution network in NSW to connect farmers with bulk feed orders that have been brought in from interstate.

“We’re at a point where people can’t continue indefinitely,” she said.

“The feed reserves are running out, their options are extremely limited and they don’t know where to turn. We’re seeing that across all animal owners – not just the big farms. Even the guy who supplies me with hay has told me that he can get me another 30 bales but after that he can’t get me anything else.

“It’s clear that more needs to be done, and it needs to be done now. The biggest issue is people can’t even source the hay now and their hope is dwindling.”

Read more: Sign the NSW Drought Petition and collect signatures to help farmers