Preparing for spring

Uncertain times – Workshop 1

With the current dry/uncertain times in South-West Victoria, local farming communities are searching for more information to help their farming business to tackle the tough decisions. Around 60 people attended the first round of workshops across Lismore and Hamilton this week, with the Harrow event on today.

Workshop facilitator, Cam Nicholson from the Vic Hub’s South-West Node, Southern Farming Systems, said, “This is the time to assess your current situation on farm; I do this every year with my wife to assess where we are at coming out of winter going into spring, and work through what decision we may need to make.”

Workshop 1 in “Uncertain Times: Strategies To Prepare For Spring” explored:

• what pasture feed farmers currently have?
• what pasture cover they want to maintain over spring and summer?
• what pasture is likely to grow considering their current moisture reserves?
• what are the predicted weather forecasts?
• what are the animals likely to eat and drink for the next 9 months?
• and where to find all that information for their own farms

Workshop participants then pulled all the information together in a simplfied calculator to indicate their farm’s situation.

In the afternoon session, the groups were stepped through making decisions and using tools such as a decision matrix to inform and help make decisions from the intel gathered in the morning session.

Cam said, “Pulling all this information together will provide insight to what decsions may need to be made. Decision making is a skill that can be taught like reading and writing. We all want to make the right decision, but we can only make good-sometimes-bad decisions, as there is no right or wrong.”

A follow-up workshop will be held in September with the same participants, focused on managing their core livestock and the feed base, presented by SFS Research & Extension Officers Lisa Miller and Jessie Wettenhall, and Dr Jane Gaussen (The Livestock Vet). This second workshop will discuss how to manage perennial grasses and sub-clover, summer feed options, condition scoring and preparing for joining 2024-25, weaning early and stock containment feeding.

Michelle McClure, SFS Project Coordinator said, “After completing both workshops, participants should have a sound base of tools and resources to help make good timely decisions any time – not just when it gets tight – and know that they are comfortable with their decisions.”

This workshop series is supported by Southern Farming Systems, South-West Node of the Victorian Drought Resilience & Adoption Hub, and funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund (FDF) and Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA).

You can find more information on dry season strategies in this article on “Strategies to get through a dry summer”, written by Lisa Miller.

You can also find articles from Jessie Wettenhall on Boosting Sheep Enterprise Resilience & Performance.