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<\/p>\nThis vintage, Lindy Wright is spending more time in the kitchen and less time driving the tractor through her family’s vineyards in South Australia’s Riverland.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her cupcake-baking side hustle has become an important source of income as she and her third-generation grower husband, Gavin, struggle to pay the bills.<\/p>\n
“Last year we had to borrow money to keep going \u2026 that’s why we’re doing things in between,” she said.<\/p>\n
“When I’m making cakes, I don’t have to worry about what’s going on out there.”<\/p>\n
Baking cupcakes has become a welcome distraction during a difficult time. (ABC News: Eliza Berlage)<\/p>\n
With higher temporary water prices<\/a>, heatwave-damaged vines, and another year of returns below the cost of production for red wine grapes, the fuel crisis has been biting.\u00a0<\/p>\n The federal government has halved the national fuel excise for three months<\/a>, cutting 26.3 cents off the price of fuel, but many farmers are still feeling pain at the bowser.<\/p>\n While Ms Wright bakes on the block, Mr Wright says he is spending more than $500 every few days to fill up the harvester.\u00a0<\/p>\n Gavin Wright says it costs him about $500 to fill up the harvester every few days. (ABC Rural: Eliza Berlage)<\/p>\n “People will look at you like ‘they’re using all the diesel’ but \u2026 everybody on the land needs diesel,” he said.<\/p>\n Mr Wright said requests for his vineyard grafting business had dried up, with prices for white wine grapes also in decline.<\/p>\n “I’ve been operating by myself since 2004, and this is the worst financially \u2026 it’s ever been,” he said.<\/p>\n \u00a0Lindy Wright says it has been enjoyable to sell her cupcakes in the community. (ABC Rural: Eliza Berlage)<\/p>\n Like many older growers in the region, Ms Wright said her small venture allowed the couple to diversify without investing in growing a new crop.<\/p>\n “Most of us are all older \u2026 so it’s too late to be doing anything else really,” she said.<\/p>\n “The government’s got this farm household allowance that’s sort of helped, but that’s not enough to cover the cost of everything going up.”<\/p>\n Australian Grape and Wine chief executive Lee McLean said it was a similar situation across the country’s wine-growing regions.<\/p>\n Lee McLean says the industry is working with the government for support. (ABC News: Luke Stephenson)<\/p>\n “Grapegrowers and winemakers are facing the most challenging set of commercial conditions they have ever faced in Australia,” he said.<\/p>\n “Additional costs to their ability to do business at a really critical time of year only serves to \u2026 decrease their margins,” he said.<\/p>\n Supply stress<\/p>\n It is not just wine grape harvesting being squeezed by the fuel crisis.<\/p>\n Untimely rain and humidity have caused delays for almond harvest, with nut quality affected by hull rot, insect and disease pressure.<\/p>\n At Century Almonds in Loxton, chief executive Brendan Sidhu said fuel supply to run machines had been tight.\u00a0<\/p>\n Brendan Sidhu says the business has just secured two weeks of fuel supply to get through the rest of the harvest. (ABC Rural: Eliza Berlage)<\/p>\n “We were down to about four days’ of fuel at one stage,” he said.<\/p>\n “The rain probably slowed us down enough to give the fuel guys a chance to top us up again.”<\/p>\n Mr Sidhu said higher diesel prices meant the business was facing tough budgeting decisions.<\/p>\n Many diesel-hungry machines are needed for the almond harvest. (ABC Rural: Eliza Berlage)<\/p>\n “The costs are horrendous. Our fuel bill has gone through the roof,” he said.<\/p>\n “We’ll have to try and tighten up our belts, maybe on labour not use as much. Look at our tree sprays, maybe cut one or two of those back.”<\/p>\n Price pressure<\/p>\n Almond Board of Australia chief executive Tim Jackson said the cost of fuel had doubled, adding pressure amid a challenging season.<\/p>\n Tim Jackson says the industry is also having trouble securing fertiliser. (ABC Rural: Eliza Berlage)<\/p>\n “We are using around a million litres a week harvesting,” he said.<\/p>\n “It’s hand-to-mouth, and the fuel suppliers are certainly assisting where they can.”<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/bd5f9445bb33871384143637ecbff66f.jpeg\")
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