In the SW WA Hub’s Dry Season Shorts video series, industry professionals reflect on practices they put in place to deal with dry conditions.
In these discussions, farmers share valuable insights into the proactive measures they implement to increase their farming system’s resilience to a drying climate. Consultants and researchers offer expert advice to assist farmers in preparing for the challenges posed by future dry seasons.
2024 videos
Managing water in a changing climate in the pork and poultry industries | Dr Bruce Mullan, Pork Innovation WA
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Improved vineyard floor management for premium grape production in a warm and dry climate | Graeme Roscic, grape producer
Additional resources:
WaterSmart Dams: making dams work again | Dr Bonny Stutsel, Centre for Water and Spatial Science at The University of Western Australi
Additional resources:
- WaterSmart Dams – Grower Group Alliance
- WaterSmart Farms – Water Security and Resilience in a Drying Climate – DPIRD WaterSmart Dams – CompassAg Alliance
- WaterSmart Dams – Merredin and Districts Farm Improvement Group
- WaterSmart Dams – Fitzgerald Biosphere Group
- WaterSmart Dams: Making Dams Work Again project – DAFF
De-risking the seeding program: management approaches strategies for dry and early sown crops | Luke Hickey, grain grower
Additional resources:
- De-Risking the Seeding Program – AgExcellence Alliance
- De-Risking the Seeding Lupin Project – Facey Group
The fine line between maximising benefits in a good season and minimising losses in a poor year | Leon Clarke, grain grower
Additional resources:
- RiskWi$e: The National Risk Management Initiative – Grower Group Alliance
- Peer-to-peer frost learning focuses on risk zones – Ground Cover (GRDC)
- Lakes Information & Farming Technology (LIFT) – Grower Group Alliance
Practical tips for making, storing and allocating hay and silage | Dario Nandapi and Siobhan Smith
Additional resources:
- Getting smarter with hay and silage production – South-West NRM
- Successful silage TopFodder silage manual – NSW DPI
- Feed testing: Calculating the benefits – Agriculture Victoria
- Advisors Wrapped with Silage Workshop – South-West NRM
A more resilient landscape through improved soil health | Rob Hetherington, grain farmer
Additional resources:
- WNRM Soil Health Champion 2022 Rob Hetherington – Wheatbelt NRM
- The Hetheringtons at Walma (case study) – Soils for Life
Introduction to the SW WA Hub’s extension and adoption activities: GRDC presentation | SW WA Hub Adoption manager, Julianne Hill
Greater grass species identification and increased engagement with pastoralists | Sarah Jeffery, Project Manager and Sustainable Agriculture Facilitator for Rangelands NRM (SW WA Hub Node Lead)
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Increasing the feed base for dry seasons using saltbush and novel understories | Kaitlyn Anderson, Agricultural Research & Extension Coordinator for Facey (SW WA Hub Node Lead)
Additional resource:
- Saltbush and Novel Forage Understorey Systems – Facey Group
Women’s field day hits 25 years | Chris O’Callaghan, Liebe Group Executive Officer
Additional resource:
- “Resilient communities in dry times” research report (p. 18-19) – Kondinin Group
Perennials prove their worth in a dry year | Melanie Dixon, Mixed Farming Systems Officer at West Midlands Group
Additional resources:
- SheepLinks – FEED365 – GGA website
- SheepLinks – FEED365 – DPIRD website
- The FEED365 Project – WMG
Perennials to help manage dry seasons in a cattle production system | Craig Forsyth, cattle producer
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Cattle feedlot makes sense in dry years | Craig Forsyth, cattle producer
On-farm diversification to help supplement income in dry years | Fiona Mann, Eradu farmer
Additional resource:
- “Diversification to add resilience” research report – Kondinin Group
Virtual fencing provides productivity gains from strip grazing in broadacre farming | Simon Fowler, mixed farmer
Additional resources:
- Gallagher website
- BeefLinks virtual fencing technology trial – Meat and Livestock Australia
Enhancing financial literacy for young farmers | Renae Piggott, farm management consultant
Additional resource:
- Financial literacy for young farmers – Dry Season Resources podcast
Benefits and practical reasons for not applying nitrogen fertiliser on heavy country | Mick Caughey, grain grower
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Trigger points and feeding strategies for sheep during a dry season | Ash Reichstein, mixed farmer
Additional resource:
- Benefits of confinement feeding and deferred grazing – Dry Season Resources podcast
How polymers contribute to sodic soil crop yields | David Hall, DPIRD Principal Research Scientist
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Drought resilient landscapes with profitable native shrub and legume systems | Craig and Naomi Hall, mixed farmers
Additional resource:
- Alternative feed sources for livestock in a dry year – Dry Season Resources podcast
Confinement feeding of sheep | Sandra Fowler, sheep producer
Additional resource:
- Benefits of confinement feeding and deferred grazing – Dry Season Resources podcast
Early crop establishment and sowing | Clint Della Bosca, grain grower
Additional resource:
- Improving early crop establishment – Dry Season Resources podcast
Delivering improved crop performance in new varieties | Greg Rebetzke, Chief Research Geneticist at CSIRO
Additional resource:
- Long coleoptile wheats – GRDC
Drip irrigation in passionfruit growing | Jennifer Riseley, passionfruit grower
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The importance of dams and water infrastructure | Mark Bending, beef and avocado farmer
Additional resource:
- WaterSmart Dams project – Grower Group Alliance
2023 videos
Ground cover and erosion management after a dry season | Justin Laycock, Research scientist, DPIRD
Additional resources:
- Managing wind erosion in southern Western Australia – DPIRD
- Pasture and ground cover during drought – Drought Info
Herbicide carryover risk after a dry year | Bevan Addison, WA Market Development Manager, Adama
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Reducing costs and forward planning during a dry year | Rod Birch, grain grower
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Things to consider after a dry season preparing for 2024 | Grant Thompson, Agronomy Consultant, Crop Circle Agronomy
Tactics in a dry year, including the use of fallow | John Flannagan, grain grower
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