Dry Season Resources

In this episode we are joined by a dynamic farming duo, Danielle Lannin England and Jonathan England, from AgInnovate. With a wealth of experience on-farm and in the wider agricultural industry, they share their advice after experiencing multiple dry seasons on their mixed sheep-grain farm in South Australia. Danielle, who originally hails from a farming family in southeast WA, is a highly regarde...

In this episode, we hear about new technologies in landscape management in the rangelands. Our guests are Megan Willis, Senior Research Officer from the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) and Richard Marver, landscape ecologist and director of Contour Environmental and Agricultural Consulting. Megan shares insights from her project exploring the use of virtual fencing to m...

Tam Connor, Learning and Development Manager, and Lance Mudgway, Landscape Planner and Hydrologist at the Mulloon Institute, explore the principles of landscape rehydration – using nature-based infrastructure and strategic land management to restore water cycles, enhance water quality, and build ecosystem resilience. They also discuss the Communities of Practice Project, funded by the Australian G...

CSIRO Plant Physiologist Dr Sarah Rich and Facey Group CEO Tina Astbury discuss the Future Drought Fund project "Improving Sowing Opportunities for Increased Farm Resilience in a Changing Climate". They explore the potential of deep sowing, the current opportunities for adoption, and what’s on the horizon for this practice. The episode delves into the mixed success of recent trials, highlighting t...

How can we make the most of rain when it falls, and what alternatives exist when it doesn’t? In this episode, researchers Samantha Viljoen (Murdoch University) and Dr Priscilla Tremain (University of Newcastle) share their innovative work on improving water security in agriculture. Samantha, a PhD candidate in the Bioplastics Innovation Hub, introduces the SMART SPRAYS project, which is developing...

Dr Penny Schulz from the SA Drought Hub and Dr Jeisane Accioly-McIllre from Western Beef Association Inc. share insights from their work on drought resilience strategies for livestock feeding. Penny discusses her pilot program on containment feeding, highlighting its benefits for productivity, pasture management, profitability, and drought preparedness. Jeisane brings her expertise from the ‘Bette...

Join UWA’s Professor Shane Maloney and Western Dairy Extension Advisor India Brockman as they delve into the impact of heat stress in sheep and cattle, with a special focus on dairy cows in Western Australia. Shane discusses the Murdoch University-led project "The Benefits of Shelter Belts", which is evaluating the effectiveness of shelterbelts in WA's South West region. India introduces Dairy Aus...

Nic McGregor from AgVise Merredin and Ben Whisson from ConsultAg Kulin discuss the realities of farming in WA’s eastern Wheatbelt, highlighting the importance of getting the basics right: planning, execution, and cost control. Nic and Ben share strategies for adapting to tough seasons, including building cash reserves in good years, knowing your numbers, and investing in areas like water supplies...

In this episode, Dave Stead from Anasazi Consulting and Phil Smyth from Nutrien Coorow explore the growing array of weather tools and apps available to farmers. With advancements like smartphones and subscription-based services, farmers now have unprecedented access to weather data - but navigating the sheer volume of information can be overwhelming. Dave and Phil share insights on how to leverage...

Join Carly Veitch, farm management consultant at AgAsset and President of the Australian Association of Agricultural Consultants (AAAC), along with Ian Donaldson, senior manager of rural valuations at Rabobank, as they delve into the dynamics behind soaring land prices. In recent years, land values have surged, and with increasingly variable seasons, buying land is becoming a tougher choice for ma...

In this episode, Coorow farmer Rod Birch and Yuna farmer Jess Grove share their experiences managing extreme seasonal variability in Western Australia’s northern wheatbelt. With 2023 marking the lowest rainfall on record, and 2021, 2022, and 2024 presenting vastly different conditions, Jess and Rod discuss their strategies for adapting to these challenges, capturing gains in productive years, and...

In this episode, we explore how changing rainfall patterns are reshaping seeding strategies and risk management across Australia. Our guests are: Rachel May, Farming Systems Adoption Officer for the South Australian Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub, who leads the “De-risking the Seeding Program.” This initiative supports 14 farming groups in South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales...

In this episode, Mullewa farmer John Flannagan and Tom Holcombe, Field Operations Lead at SwarmFarm Robotics, discuss the benefits of using SwarmFarm robots in WA's northern wheatbelt. John shares how the addition of two SwarmFarm robots, alongside a WEED-IT precision sprayer, has significantly reduced labour, chemical, and fuel costs on his family’s farm. The conversation highlights how these tec...

In this episode, we explore strategies to navigate the evolving challenges of livestock management while boosting productivity and system resilience. Chapman Valley farmer Jason Stokes shares his approach to managing seasonal variability, including break conservation, confinement feeding, and diverse pasture use. Daniel Real from DPIRD delves into the Feed365 and Pasture365 projects, highlighting...

Join Ben White from Kondinin Group and Kelly Cussons from Cussons Media as they dive into four compelling case studies showcasing innovative drought resilience strategies employed by farmers across Australia. These case studies are part of a comprehensive, farmer-focused extension and adoption program designed to uncover and share the most effective drought resilience techniques, strategies, and t...

Join us as we dive into how MyClimateView is empowering growers to make informed decisions in the face of a changing climate. In this episode, Stephanie Dickson from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) and Jen Riseley from Pomewest share insights on leveraging historical and predicted climate data tailored to specific regions and crop types. Stephanie walks us through the key features of MyClimateView...

In this episode, we talk about virtual fencing and its applications in farming. Virtual fencing enables farmers to remotely manage and contain livestock without the need for physical fences. Livestock wear GPS-enabled collars that communicate with reception towers, creating a virtual boundary set by the farmer. Our guests today are Esperance farmer Scott Wandel and Andrew Zipsin from Gallagher. Sc...

In this episode of the South-West WA Drought Hub's Dry Season Resources podcast, host Shannon Beattie interviews Farmanco consultant Ben Curtis, and West River farmer Joel Ebert. They discuss key agronomic decision-making times of the year such as deciding on top up nitrogen, when to sell grain, and if fungicides are needed. They also discuss some of the emotional choices that farmers are making o...

Farmers Tony White, from Miling, and Peter Daw, from Ravensthorpe, participated in the Western Australia Drought Pilot program over a decade ago. This initiative, spearheaded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), aimed to help farmers better prepare for and manage dry seasons. In this episode, Tony and Peter share the strategies they have incorporated into their farm bus...

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, a consultant, delivers TopFodder workshops, which focus on producing high-quality silage...

In this episode, we talk with Brad Plunkett and Christophe D’Abbadie about profitable and drought-resilient grazing systems for the Southern Rangelands. Brad and Christophe, 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 Terri...

On 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. Meredith and Michaela highlight several tools that farmers can use to better understand weather forecasts, explainin...

In this episode, we explore different livestock feed options for dry seasons. 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. A key topic is the use of saltbush as a feed alternative in dry years....

In this episode of the South-West WA Drought Hub's Dry Season Resources podcast, 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. 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 and Matt give an introduction...

In this episode, we turn our attention to getting good crop establishment with early sowing. Our guests are Glen Riethmuller, Research Scientist at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), and Stuart Faulkner, a mixed farmer from Beacon, WA. Good crop establishment and rapid, early growth can improve water efficiency, increase yields and help the crop to compete again...