After a callout to the wider community to help Queensland farmers rebuild their herd after losing them in the floods, the first load of cattle was recently delivered to a family north of Winton.
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Thirty-nine young brahman cows were trucked to the property of inaugural beneficiaries Jeff and Debbie Nichols, in what is a concerted effort to rebuild the Northern Queensland cattle herd after catastrophic weather earlier this year decimated cattle numbers.
Thanks to the generosity of ordinary Australians, rural charity Rural Aid delivered the first load of cattle, as part of its innovative Buy A Cow campaign.
After enduring eight years of drought, hundreds of thousands of cattle were lost in 10 days of monsoonal rain.
Herds across rural Queensland - including that of the Nichols family - were totally devastated.
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Jeff Nichols said the injection of new livestock was a much-needed boost to the family's farm operations.
"Like many cattle producers up this way we have been doing it tough for a long time," he said.
"We are so grateful to receive this support, but there are still so many families on the land who feel like they have nobody to lean on.
"If you care about the quality and ongoing sustainability of the Australian beef industry, I encourage you to give generously so that other producers can receive the assistance they so desperately need to get back on their feet."
Similar to the successful Buy a Bale campaign, this initiative allowed Australians to donate money was gifted to farmers to purchase new livestock.
The campaign is still ongoing and each farmer that registers will receive $15,000.
The charities aim is to raise a total of $7.5 million dollars which will benefit approximately 500 farmers.
Approximately $250,000 has been raised in the first two weeks.
In the coming weeks Rural Aid will be making cattle deliveries in Winton, Cloncurry and the Julia Creek regions.
Rural Aid Chief Executive Officer Charles Alder said it is important that all Australians dig deep to support these cattle producers who are struggling financially and emotionally to recover.
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"The thought of having to deal with one natural disaster after another is difficult to contemplate but that's what these farmers are going through," Mr Alder said.
"Many of these farmers are staring at the prospect of not having an income for two years.
Mr Alder said 100 per cent of funds raised through Rural Aid's Buy a Cow campaign will be allocated to purchasing new cattle.
"This is in addition to other grants Rural Aid is making towards bill payments, groceries and fodder assistance - we're calling on Australia to continue their support to help farmers rebuild their livelihoods," he said.
To learn more about the Buy A Cow campaign or to donate to the cause visit their website www.buyacow.com.au
