And farmers who are classified as primary producers aren’t the only ones who are finding it harder and harder to source animal feed.

With the entire state now in intense drought, drought or drought-affected, One Day Closer To Rain Facebook page founder Cassandra McLaren said it was time to look at more widespread support.

Her calls come as the Bureau of Meterology has confirmed NSW is experiencing its worst drought since the mid 1960s. 

Ms McLaren said small-scale farmers were also feeling the pinch of failed crops and challenges around sourcing animal feed. 

She said small farmers, who had some off-farm income, were relying on that money to keep their farming businesses afloat and in most cases it wasn’t enough to withstand the impact. 

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Ms McLaren said many landholders don’t qualify as primary producers so they are not eligible for assistance under the state and federal government programs, she said. 

“Of course we need support for our farmers who are 100 per cent reliant on an income from the farm to be helped, but we also need support for the others,” Ms McLaren said. 

“It has got to a stage now where it’s everyone with an animal, whether you have one horse, one cow or 500 sheep, everyone is facing the same problem finding feed and the cost to bring it to the farm keeps going up.”

Ms McLaren said small farmers were being forced to buy a whole truck load of hay at a time, and most couldn’t afford to do that.

“The big farms are ordering big truck loads of hay and bringing it to their farm but the small farmers don’t have access to that, they can’t afford to order a big truck load at once,” she said. 

“There’s a lot of pressure on our small farmers and there’s nowhere for them to turn for help.”

Employees in the agriculture sector, like farming hands and shearers, are also in her sights.

She said many had lost their jobs and needed support to keep food on the table, and pay their bills, as the drought continued to linger.

“What about all of those people, what are they going to do now, where are they going to find work?,” Ms McLaren said.

A job advertisement for a farm hand at Young last month attracted more than 200 applicants from across the state.