Drought

It's usually only during floods and droughts that the everyday modern person thinks at all about the availability of water; we take for granted the trickle from the tap. But the contrast between the recent dry spell of many months and the rain of the last week has prompted Goulburn-Murray Water, the entity that manages the storage and delivery of water in our region, to share some information about how these extremes are managed.

Rural Aid is calling on Australians to provide a much-needed hand up for our struggling farmers this Christmas. Farmers across South Australia, Victoria, and the southern parts of New South Wales are currently enduring a devastating drought and need our help – so too families in Southwest WA who are recovering from their driest start to cropping season on record.

Tens of thousands of Australian farmers have shown adaptability and sustainability this National Agriculture Day by taking part in programs under the Future Drought Fund (FDF) that are helping stock, pasture and native wildlife … provides an opportunity to celebrate the efforts of farmers like Cindy and Steven Scott from the NSW Riverina, who are looking at new ways to manage drought...

The State of the Climate Report 2024 has found Australia’s weather and climate has continued to change, with an increase in extreme heat events, longer fire seasons, more intense heavy rainfall, and sea level rise. The report, prepared every two years, was released today by Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, and the Bureau of Meteorology.  

Christine Webster. The organisation representing farmers in the Mallee is hoping the arrival of the first decent downpour of rain since January has broken a pattern of drought conditions ... Mallee Sustainable Farming communications and extension manager Tanja Morgan, who is based in Geranium in the Murray Mallee, said for growers who had sowed their crops a bit later in the season, last week’s rain may have been beneficial.

Leaders from eleven community groups across Australia have shared their stories about the projects their communities embarked on in the depths of the drought that affected so much of Australia over the last decade. The stories can be heard on FRRR’s new Tackling Tough Times Together podcast.

Sophie Baldwin. The last time the Bullatale Creek ran dry was back in 2007 – at the peak of the millennium drought. And yet, in 2024 and after three consecutive wet years, the creek is dry. Again. Which begs the obvious question – where has all the water gone?

Serena Kirby. David Wright was named as the Inaugural Denmark Cattle Farmer of the Year at the recent Drought Muster Buster held at The Dam ... The award was part of a broader event organised by Raintree Farm owner Steve Birkbeck, who wanted to create ‘a reason to celebrate in a time of stress and trouble for the farming industry’ ... An integral part of the event was the discussion of issues surrounding bushfires by a panel of local experts.

Researchers from the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) are taking the idea of "try before you buy" straight to the bank to make it easier for farmers to utilise ag tech. The $3.7 million research project … investigates how to better utilise existing and emerging ag technologies to improve drought resilience for grain farmers.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) says farmers and regional communities are confused about whether they are eligible for drought assistance or where they can turn to for support as Victoria’s green drought lingers and farmers approach the critical spring growing season. VFF Vice-President Danyel Cucinotta said the confusion was adding to the burden faced by many farmers and is the driving force behind the VFF’s proposed Victorian Drought Resilience Program.

New data released by the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) today shows that the impact of extreme weather on the Australian economy has more than tripled over the last three decades. Insured losses from declared insurance catastrophes have grown from 0.2 of GDP from 1995 to 2000 to 0.7 per cent for the last five years ... The new data analysis is contained in the Insurance Council of Australia’s Insurance Catastrophe Resilience Report 2023-24, released today.

Patricia Gill. Drought has prompted a rethink in the Denmark cattle industry after farmers have been forced to shoot animals because of a lack of feed and rock-bottom cattle prices. Farmers, including Steve Birkbeck at the Raintree Farm, have faced their driest season from spring through to autumn, with longer-established farmers saying this season has been the driest since 1982.

John O’Donnell identifies numerous instances of what he sees as poor and inadequate governance at local, state and federal level, many of them being cross sector issues, highlighting the importance of working more effectivly together to address them. John goes on to identify possible ways to influence better outcomes. 

Murrumbidgee Council is inviting you to contribute your insights, experiences and ideas to how we can improve our region’s drought preparedness into the future. Preparation of a Western Riverina Regional Drought Resilience Plan (RDRP) has recently commenced.

Mixed seasonal conditions across the country – coupled with economic pressures – have seen the nation’s farm sector confidence take a U-turn in the latest quarter, declining after a resurgence in optimism at the start of the year. he quarter two Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey ... found sentiment among the country’s agricultural producers had dipped into ‘negative territory’ – with fewer farmers expecting a better year ahead than those holding a negative outlook.

Rain across four states has failed to dampen demand for fodder to feed drought affected livestock. Australia’s most trusted rural charity, Rural Aid, said the sigh of relief from farmers who received rain in the past week was almost audible such was the desperation of some; none more so than producers in south-western West Australia where the region had experienced its driest conditions on record.

The furrowed brows of farmers continue to search the sky rain, but the season is on track for the driest May on record. Since last August most of the region’s farming land has experienced less than 10 per cent of normal rainfall since 1900, and less than five per cent in some areas.

The federal budget is another missed opportunity to increase regional support through targeted agricultural investments directed at boosting the long-term profitability of grain farming communities. GrainGrowers Chair Rhys Turton said while the budget delivers some positive initiatives, rural industry was looking for a “cost of production” budget to address some of the underlying pressures now being felt across the rural sector.

I was working for the WA Minister for Agriculture Ken Baston back in 2010, during the last big drought and, like Jackie Jarvis with the current dry, he had to deal with calls from industry for the Government to do something. At the time, as Chief of Staff, I asked the Department what the State's legislated responsibilities were when it came to dry seasons and the advice that came back was pretty simple - ‘soils and animal welfare', that’s it. Farmers were on their own when it came to subsidies for fodder or transport.

Farmers have welcomed an announcement by the Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in Rockhampton today regarding the next phase of the Future Drought Fund (FDF). National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) President, David Jochinke, said the FDF was central to making producers more resilient in the face of current and future droughts.

Geoff Pearson. Two weeks ago 300 farmers from across the South West convened an urgent drought meeting to address what is one of the driest seasons experienced in living memory across what is traditionally the wettest part of Western Australia. It’s at times like these that the State and Federal governments need to step up and support farmers to rectify where they have made things worse through past policy mistakes.