General News
12 September, 2025
Generations band to help our farmers
ELISE McKinnon once enjoyed a life of television appearances and red carpets – these days she’s a fiercely passionate advocate for farmers across the state doing it tough.
While Elise may have left behind a career that revolved around TV studios, major brands and household names, her passion and drive for helping others now burns stronger than ever.
Marrying local vet Xavier McKinnon and moving to Bushfield, Elise found herself on the land and “on her L-plates” as a beef farmer.
Just two years into farm life she and her family were hit head-on by the toughest drought in living memory.
And so began her quest to do all that she could to not only see her family through tough times, but to help those around her who were “doing it tougher.”
“This drought has really hit hard and so many families have been impacted; our farming communities are resilient and they’re tough, and they’re proud, but they need help.
“This drought has bit hard and it keeps biting. And the strain is really taking its toll on so many.”
Elise recalls listening to a local radio show one Saturday and hearing a stock agent speak about the toll the drought was taking, how tough things had become and how many farmers were struggling.
“His words were the final reason I needed to get involved and try to use my skills, connections and experience in media and marketing to help in some way,” Elise said.
Elise took it upon herself to change the conversation.
Together with Geoff Rollinson from Warrnambool Landcare Coastcare Network, she organised a state-wide roundtable of farmers, industry groups, councils and other agricultural stakeholders to present a unified set of priorities to government.
She created Drought Support Victoria, a resource hub for communities, with the help of her good friend Rebecca Mahony.
But Elise knew more was needed to bridge the gap between city and country.
She created public campaigns that cut through to metropolitan Melbourne, launching initiatives like the Green Armband Round with Hampden League (led by Matty Stewart and Trent Hill) which gained the backing of media figures including Sam Newman, Eddie McGuire, Garry Lyon and Foxtel.
“It was about starting conversations in loungerooms across Melbourne,” Elise said.
Understanding that feed for livestock was the most important issue for farmers, Elise spoke with Graham Cockerell, founder of ‘Need for Feed,’ a volunteer-run charity delivering hay.
“They planned to bring 40 truckloads of free hay into our community, which was just amazing, and I wanted to ensure their work was widely recognised and celebrated.
“I was amazed with the generosity and kindness of the truck drivers and volunteers who gave their time and their own trucks for complete strangers – people and communities they wanted to help get through some of the toughest times in their lives.
“I also wanted to make sure that when they arrived, they received the welcome they deserved.”
While Elise’s family wasn’t getting hay, she knew that so many people needed it.
“Need for Feed was only able to deliver about one-third of the hay requested in the south west so I needed to come up with a fundraising program to raise money and awareness to bring more hay to our region.”
And that’s when ‘Wear Green for Farmers Day’ was born.
This grassroots campaign encouraged schools, sports clubs, businesses and communities to wear green, donate to Need for Feed, and learn why farmers matter.
“The response was simply overwhelming,” Elise said.
“So many schools have been involved, from Koroit, Woodford and Our Lady Help of Christians through to Timboon, St Patrick’s and Mercy Regional – even Lismore Kindergarten got into the act.
“At St Joseph’s Warrnambool, 600 students formed the word FARMERS on the school oval and captured it on a drone.”
Schools across Geelong and the south west have held bake sales and fundraisers; healthcare organisations, local councils and businesses have also rallied behind the campaign.
“Even Crown Melbourne lit up its complex in green to show support and high-profile Australians such as Eddie McGuire, Brendan Fevola and Andrew Gaze offered to lend their voices, brand and platform to raise the voice and support our farmers.”
What began as a grassroots effort to raise funds for Need for Feed’s hay delivery program has evolved into an educational and engagement platform to build a deeper understanding and respect for Australia’s farming industries.
While linked to a short-term fundraising initiative to support Need for Feed in delivering urgent livestock feed, the campaign’s ultimate goal is to create an enduring shift in awareness; inspiring Australians to value, protect, and stand with their farmers and create a deeper understanding and respect for Victoria’s farming industries through educating students, businesses, and communities about where food comes from and the impact of farming on our economy.
“Every school did something different to celebrate and thank our farmers, while learning about the drought, why our farmers matter and what our world would be like without our farmers,” Elise said.
“I had local schools beginning to develop education materials to bring to city schools to share knowledge from peer to peer.
“It was really exciting and had great potential, but there’s only so much one person can do. What our community did to get involved and celebrate our farmers was incredible.”
Need for Feed will return to the western district in the coming weeks with feed for many of the farmers who missed out on the previous delivery.
“Every school, business and individual who went green, thought about our farmers and donated a gold coin have helped make this happen,” Elise said.
“Sixty-five per cent of Australia’s milk comes from Victoria. People in the city need to understand this isn’t just a ‘country issue’ it affects everyone. Without farmers, there is no food.”
Without formal industry backing, Elise volunteered her time and used her skills to fill the gap.
Her grassroots work not only gave farmers a voice but also helped bring agricultural education into schools — ensuring that future leaders grow up understanding and respecting the people who feed them
While Elise has since stepped back, she knows her work has left a mark.
“I did my best. My hope is that others now take up the vision, keep leading the conversation, and ensure farmers feel heard, seen, and valued.
“They deserve nothing less.”
Her initiatives, her work and her commitment to ensuring that farmers are seen and heard has inspired many across the district and beyond to also do what they can to help farmers and their families.
One such person is year 9 student Aden Gilding.
When not studying, Aden works part-time on a dairy farm and has seen first-hand the crippling effects of drought and just how tough farmers are doing it.
And he wanted to help.
“I’m working on a dairy farm in Yangery and I absolutely love it, but it’s also brought home to me just how hard it is for farmers right now and I wanted to help,” he said.
“They can’t get enough fodder; it’s not only expensive but it’s scarce. Farmers are very proud and many don’t like to ask for help.”
Aden wrote a letter to local MP Dan Tehan outlining the plight of farmers in the western district, and that letter was taken to parliament.
In his letter, Aden urged both the state and federal governments to provide immediate support to farmers.
“This agricultural crisis is unfolding in real time,” he wrote.
“Many local farmers have been forced to truck in water, de-stock, or walk away from generations of work.
“The financial strain on them is unbearable. But what’s even more heartbreaking is the mental toll this is taking.”
Aden also pointed out that, according to national mental health research, farmers were 59 per cent more likely to die by suicide than the general population.
“A 2023 study found that 45 per cent of farmers had experienced suicidal thoughts and, even more alarming, 30 per cent of farmers reported attempting self-harm or suicide.
“This is not just a drought, it’s a mental health emergency in our rural communities.”
Aden urged Dan Tehan and his fellow politicians to advocate for emergency drought funding (including fodder and water transport subsidies), to direct financial support to drought-affected families and primary producers, and to provide on-the-ground mental health support for rural areas (particularly those in isolated communities).
“There also needs to be a long-term investment in infrastructure and land management strategies that help farmers adapt to a changing climate,” Aden said.
In his letter, Aden urged Dan Tehan to speak up in parliament and “fight” for southwest Victoria’s farming communities before more lives were lost – “on the land, and to the crushing burden so many are carrying in silence.”
Aden is now organising a ‘parma for a farmer’ lunch at his school next month, with all money raised going to Need for Feed.
“We’re all in this together and by working together we can help those who need it most,” Aden said.
“I’m just trying to do my bit to raise funds and help create awareness of what our farming communities are going through.”
