Without farmers, we wouldn’t have most of the food we eat, the clothes we wear and even some of the alcohol we consume.

Most of what we find in the supermarket has at one time come from the land.

But ask any city slicker and they are usually shocked to hear when milk, eggs and their meat originate from.

It’s as if they think they grew right there on the supermarket shelf. 

We most likely purchase our food from a supermarket or farmer's market but rarely do we give a second thought as to how it ended up on the shelves or in the city for sale to the public.

It’s the result of long hours, late nights, early mornings and a lot of heartache from farmers.

And right now, a lot of them are doing it tough. 

A drive not that far any side of Wagga reveals just how dry it is with barely a green pasture in sight.

The Riverina is one level below drought, meaning there’s minimal rainfall and crops and livestock are suffering.

Crops and livestock are dying and farmers are having to make some tough decisions that will affect their livelihood and their families.

A decision such as buying feed for livestock, because lack of rain means no naturally-growing feed for animals, or letting their stock die is plaguing the minds of many.

The problems stem from a lack of rain, an entity out of the control of people.

Hay runs have been running frequently to Queensland and the problem seems to be spreading to NSW.

Drought relief and assistance is available to those having to buy feed to livestock but farmers also have to pay for freight, another expense many just can’t afford.

We might not be able to make it rain but we can buy choose to buy local.

Support local markets and look for brands from the Riverina.

If farmers are still able to produce a product, let’s make sure we support it.