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Dry Season Resources Podcast

The South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub is dedicated to sharing information that supports growers in preparing for dry seasons.

On the Hub’s Dry Season Resources podcast, we chat with farmers and industry experts about preparing for a dry season. Topics covered range from early planning to tactical decision-making as the season changes throughout the year and setting up for the following season.

Find the latest episodes of the Dry Season Resources podcast below. Subscribe to the Hub’s podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

S2E11 Silage, is it all it’s wrapped up to be?

26 June 202426:06

In this episode, we catch up with Dan Parnell, Regional Extension Officer at Western Dairy, and Borden farmer Paul O’Meehan to delve into the world of silage. Silage isn't widely used in the Wheatbelt, but Paul has been growing and utilising it near Borden for many years, and opened one pit after 5 years. Dan delivers TopFodder workshops, which focus on producing high-quality silage and hay.

S2E10 Profitable grazing systems to manage drought in the Southern Rangelands

12 June 202431:04

Brad Plunkett and Christophe D’Abbadie, both economists at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), have conducted extensive research on profitable and sustainable rangeland management systems in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

S2E9 Your weather questions answered

29 May 202424:46

In this episode, we are joined by Meredith Guthrie from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and Michaela Alexander from the Bureau of Meteorology. Together, they discuss various weather tools that can help us gain deeper insights into our forecasts.

S2E8 Alternative feed sources for livestock in a dry year

15 May 202427:00

Joining us are Hayley Norman, a pasture researcher from CSIRO, and Emily Stretch, a farmer from Kojonup. They talk about the impact of the current dry season on livestock operations on WA farms and share alternative feed options farmers can consider.

S2E7 Financial literacy for young farmers

1 May 202436:45

Farmers may need to pull different levers to change or modify farm operations to minimise the impacts of a dry season on their business. Renae Piggott, a consultant with AgAsset, and Matt Hyde, a young Dalwallinu farmer, talk about the impact of a dry season on WA farms' cash flow and share useful tools and rules of thumb.

S2E6 Improving early crop establishment

17 April 202424:59

Good crop establishment and rapid, early growth can improve water efficiency, increase yields and help the crop to compete against weeds. However, early sowing comes with its risks. DPIRD Research Scientist, Glen Riethmuller, and Beacon farmer, Stuart Faulkner, give practical tips for getting good crop establishment when sowing early.

S2E5 Getting the most out of on-farm technologies

3 April 202428:01

Smart Farms coordinator for Stirlings to Coast Farmers, Phil Honey, Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO, Roger Lawes, and Latham farmer, Dylan Hirsch, talk about the role of digital technologies in agricultural businesses and how they can address farming system challenges and improve in-season decision making when faced with a variable climate.

S2E4 Grassroot approaches to support community mental health and wellbeing

20 March 202443:14

Brad Milsteed, farmer and founder of 6Bs (Blokes, BBQ’s, Bonfires, Beers, Bonding and Bullshit) and Owen Catto from the Regional Men’s Health Initiative, discuss grassroots approaches to support whole of community mental health and wellbeing that operate across regional WA.

S2E3 Benefits of confinement feeding and deferred grazing

6 March 202431:30

Congellin farmer, Sandra Fowler, and DPIRD Senior Field Veterinary Officer, Anna Erikson, discuss the benefits of confinement feeding and deferred grazing during a dry season and things to consider when implementing this type of system.

S2E2 Managing large spray programs in hot, dry and dusty conditions

21 February 202429:38

Application specialist Bill Campbell, from Campbell Ag, and Jemma Sadler, a Goomalling farmer talk about managing large spray programs with the hot, dry and dusty conditions experienced this summer.

S2E1 Managing risk using head, heart and gut with Planfarm and Nicon Rural Services

8 February 202439:52

Cameron Weeks, from Planfarm, and Cam Nicholson, from Nicon Rural Services, about making risky decisions. They discuss knowing about the extremes, and then managing the risks (both good and bad) around those extremes - using head, heart and gut.

S1E6 Livestock in a dry year with Elders and Agrarian

22 November 202335:57

Dean Hubbard, Michael Longford and Ashley Herbert talk about the impact of the dry season on livestock operations on WA farms. They cover markets for sheep and cattle, the seasonal conditions farmers and pastoralists are facing right now and the decision making around managing ground cover, animal welfare and classes of stock to hold or sell.