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Dry Season Resources Podcast

The Hub’s Dry Season Resources podcast shares practical insights from farmers, researchers and other industry experts on managing dry seasons. Episodes cover strategies for early planning, in-season decisions, and preparing for the following year, helping build climate resilience across farming communities.

New episodes are released every second Wednesday.

You can listen to the latest episodes below. The podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other major apps.

Have feedback or suggestions?

If you have ideas for topics we could cover on the podcast, we’d love to hear from you. You can email us at swwadroughthub@gga.org.au.

S4E9 De-risking drilling to secure on-farm water supplies

24 June 202625:37

Securing reliable on-farm water is one of the most pressing challenges for Wheatbelt farmers facing consecutive dry seasons, with some spending over $60,000 in a single year just to keep water up to stock. In this episode, Dr Richard George from DPIRD and Professor Brett Harris from Curtin University talk about a targeted approach to finding water in fractured bedrock aquifers deep beneath the Wheatbelt landscape.

S4E8 Smart Grazing: Breaking down barriers to technology adoption in the Southern Rangelands

27 May 202630:54

Richard Marver (Contour Consulting) and Krystie Bremer (Gascoyne Pilbara Rangelands Initiative) discuss the Smart Grazing, Stronger Lands project, which will assist pastoralists from Australia’s Southern Rangelands to adopt proven climate-smart decision support tools and technologies to improve grazing management and ecosystem health.

S4E7 Use of virtual fencing to build farm resilience

29 April 202622:36

By giving farmers unprecedented control over grazing pressure, virtual fencing is shaping up as a powerful tool for dry‑season management and climate resilience. Esperance farmer Simon Fowler and SARDI researcher Bianca Agenbag unpack how the technology is helping producers maximise pasture utilisation, run virtual feedlots through feed gaps, and protect precious feed reserves when seasons turn tough.

S4E6 How strategic planning helps farmers stay ahead of uncertain seasons

15 April 202621:22

Uncertain seasons require clear thinking, not more noise. In this episode, Rod Birch, a grain grower from Coorow, shares his approach to planning for and managing through dry seasons and broader uncertainty. Rod discusses the importance of focusing on core fundamentals, identifying key risks such as lower-than-expected rainfall, input supply and markets, and avoiding unnecessary noise when making decisions.

S4E5 Optimising limited resources in challenging seasons

31 March 202627:03

Input constraints are a challenge, especially now in 2026, smart allocation can make a real difference to whole of farm performance. Farmer Dylan Hirsch and CSIRO research scientist Roger Lawes discuss practical strategies for making the most of limited inputs, with a strong focus on nitrogen management.

S4E4 2026 Seasonal forecast: It’s going to rain, but when and how much?

17 March 202626:33

Seasonal climate outlooks can inform planning, but they are only one part of farm decision-making. Dr Meredith Guthrie, from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and Phil Smyth, northern Wheatbelt agronomist from Nutrien, talk about the 2026 seasonal outlook. The conversation highlights the importance of using forecasts as guidance while focusing on sound management decisions throughout the season and how there is always space for hope.

S4E3 Water quality the hidden driver of spray efficacy

4 March 202633:19

Water quality is one of the most overlooked factors in spray performance, yet it can have major impacts on efficacy, compatibility and long-term resistance risk. Agronomist Bill Campbell from Campbell Ag and Damon Cusack from the Fitzgerald Biosphere Group (FBG) discuss how water quality varies across Western Australia and what growers can do to better manage it.

S4E2 Managing livestock health and disease during dry seasons

17 February 202633:00

Dr Izzy Drage, Field Veterinary Officer at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), and Katherine Davies, Senior Development Officer in DPIRD’s Animal Systems group, discuss the practical and strategic approaches to managing livestock during prolonged dry and hot periods

S4E1 Managing farming risks with soil surveys

3 February 202634:44

Aidan Sinnott (VRT Solutions) and Giles McMeikan (Farmanco) explore how soil surveying can be used to manage risk in modern farming systems, soil surveying technologies available to farmers, how soil data can help improve water use efficiency, and the practical implementation of variable rate technology (VRT).

S3E23 Salinity in the Wheatbelt: insights from four decades of research

17 December 202541:45

Dr Richard George (DPIRD) unpacks the complexity of salinity in the Wheatbelt, tracing its historical roots, examining the pressures of land clearing, climate, and agricultural practices on salinity levels, and outlining the practical strategies that have emerged from years of research.

S3E22 Putting real-time water usage data into the hands of horticulturalists

3 December 202527:30

Declining rainfall and reduced water availability since the 1970s have made efficient water use in food production more important than ever. In this episode, Dr Julia Easton and Professor Mark Gibberd from the Centre for Crop Disease Management at Curtin University discuss the On Farm Water Demand project, funded through the WA Node of Food Agility CRC.

S3E21 Building better projects through effective co-design

19 November 202537:05

In this episode, we’re joined by Jethro Sercombe, Director of Innovation Practice at Third Story, and Tanya Kilminster, SW WA Hub Knowledge Broker, for a deep dive into co-design in agriculture. Together, they unpack what co-design really means and explore how it can be applied to agriculture-related projects to achieve stronger outcomes.