Trust co-ordinator Pat Macaulay, of Mosgiel, said Otago farmers battling dry conditions had not been calling the trust since the announcement.
Support was often needed after a drought classification was lifted, when farmers were affected by factors such as lower lambing percentages and the cost of buying replacement stock.
To reduce the effect of the drought, Macaulay urged farmers to make difficult decisions, such as selling stock, rather than retaining it and waiting for rain.
Generally, farmers would be better off financially by selling the stock now, rather than retaining it and buying "copious amounts of winter feed".
Supplementary feed was a "scarce" commodity at the moment, Macaulay said.
"Please make your plans, make them early and stick to them."
Farming through a drought was "not easy" and farmers needed to be "proactive" by making the "heart-wrenching" decisions.
"It's insidious - the dry doesn't go away."
O'Connor encouraged farmers to contact the national feed planning service if they needed help to do a feed budget to get them through winter.
"Alternatively, the feed co-ordination service can help farmers who need supplementary feed immediately."
Farmers in Otago, Mid Canterbury, South Canterbury, North Canterbury, Marlborough and the Chatham Islands could apply for assistance until November 30.
Support was available in Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Wellington and Tasman regions, and the Manawatu-Rangitikei, Tararua and Nelson until June 30, when it would be reviewed.
