Five road trains of hay have arrived on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula as farmers battle a tough summer keeping their stock fed.
Money raised from Rural Aid's 'Hay Mate' benefit concert in Victoria - which raised more than $4 million - has been used to provide much-needed relief for drought and bushfire-affected farmers in the Cowell district.
The convoy will provide feed for about 70 farmers across the district, with farmers with 800 sheep receiving fifteen 500 kilogram bales each.
Brenton Smith, from Calcookara Merino Stud, said many farmers in the district were already feeding their stock from bales, with the coming months typically the hardest to find feed.
"It's from now until our first good rain that's going to be the real struggle," he said.
"After the seasons we've had there's a lot of people who have been feeding for some time."
He said his property was in an area which usually received about 400 millimetres of rain annually, and in 2019 they received just 168, coming off the back of a horrific 2018 with strong winds causing heavy drift and most of the rainfall occurring during summer when it was of less benefit.
He said he was fortunate that he had been able to cut hay and reap some grain to help keep his stock fed, but it had prevented him from selling as much as he normally would.
While he said farmers would much prefer to be self-reliant, the donation had come at a great time.
Rural Aid sends donations based on the needs of farmers registered with the organisation.
Australian Community Media, publisher of this website and newspapers around Australia, sponsored the fundraising concert and the convoy.
"It is hard to ask for help but it has been good to get help," Mr Smith said.
"We're very thankful for Rural Aid for supporting communities such as our own."
He said the community was grateful to still receive support while so many other communities battle both drought and bushfires.
"We just hope those people get the help they need, too," he said.