How To Adopt Out Your Farm Animals In A Drought

The Dire Straights song that includes the words: 'That ain't working' makes me think of the process we've just come through. I visited the pub at Goolma last night on my way back from the waste transfer station (on a break from the computer) and my next door neighbour said: "You've got it made... You're a millionaire." I am sure everyone in the pub and in a lot of other places think we struck gold by discovering a way to get money for nothing. But I calculate we have worked close to 1,000 man hours so far, under incredible pressure, to make this 'money for nothing'. There's an old saying: "There's no such thing as a free lunch." And there isn't. We were happy to work hard to get the money we needed to save our flock. When we sat there that night deciding whether to destock or feed, we tried to think of ways we could get the money. Overdraft maxed out. Credit cards, too. What could we sell? There was nothing, except an idea and the time and energy it would take to make it happen. So if you want some money for nothing, I don't know where it's available. If you decide to use the "Adopta" approach, be warned you are signing on for a lot of hard work. But the rewards are amazing: the sight of healthy animals, seeing the lambs thriving, getting all the messages of goodwill from people you don't know, feeling like you've got a whole new family backing you up. I'd do it again, no sweat.