Opportunities and challenges of deep sowing

Make hay while the sun shines, or in this case, silage in the years when the rain falls. Being prepared may be the best tactic a livestock business has for the years when the rainfall is irregular. In this episode, Dr Jeisane Accioly-McIllree, Executive Officer of the Western Beef Association, and David Humphreys, Ferguson Valley beef producer and Vice Chair of Western Beef, reflect on a season that started strong but delivered little follow-up rain. The conversation focuses on good management ahead of a long, dry summer. Jeisane and David discuss feed budgeting against stock numbers, testing hay and silage, buying feed on value rather than cost, storing it well and carrying some over into the next season. They also cover grazing management, regular condition scoring and offloading less productive stock early. Practical resources are highlighted throughout, including Western Beef's borrowable hay and silage coring tools, the Rumen8 feed planning software, grazing management training, the Leading the Herd forums and the Western Beef alumni network. The episode reinforces that dry periods are a regular feature of the south-west. Preparing in the good years determines how well a business gets through the lean ones. This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Dr Mary-Anne Glanzlowe. Better Making and Use of Hay and Silage – Mitigating drought and season variability effects for WA livestock industry - SW WA Hub Livestock nutrition in dry seasons with hay, silage and containment feeding - SW WA Hub Silage, is it all it’s wrapped up to be? - SW WA Hub Rumen8 tutorial videos - Western Beef Rumen8 Easy Beef and Dairy Cattle Diets How to measure forage dry matter using a microwave - South West NRM How to sample forage - South West NRM Hay and silage test corer locations and laboratory information - Western Beef Hub news - Drought Hub

The Transformative Aboriginal Agricultural Methods (TAAM) project is exploring how Aboriginal knowledge and modern agricultural science can work together to improve soil health, restore landscapes and support more resilient farming systems. This episode is part of the Indigenous farming methods series and in it, we speak to Clint Hansen, founder of Maaman Marra Boodjar, and Associate Professor Dave Blake from Edith Cowan University. They discuss how Aboriginal knowledge holders, farmers and researchers came together to share their understanding of Country and explore culturally informed approaches to landscape rehydration. Clint explains how leaky weirs - built using locally sourced rocks, branches and soil - can slow water movement, capture sediment and seeds, and support the regeneration of eroded areas. The episode also explores how soil testing, microbiome analysis, drones and sensor networks were used to measure changes in soil moisture, temperature and biomass across trial sites near Perenjori. The TAAM project is supported by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub, through funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, Edith Cowan University and the WA Agricultural Research Collaboration. This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Shannon Beattie. 'If we don't look after Country, we won't have anything' - National Indigenous Times Video - Transformative Aboriginal agricultural methods: Maaman Marra Boodjar Video - Transformational program: pathways towards resilience in Western Australia Field day blends Aboriginal knowledge and science for climate resilience - WA Agricultural Research Collaboration Transformative Aboriginal agricultural methods: Maaman Marra Boodjar - SW WA Hub Hub news - Drought Hub

Securing reliable on-farm water is one of the most pressing challenges for Wheatbelt farmers facing consecutive dry seasons, with some spending over $60,000 in a single year just to keep water up to stock. In this episode, Dr Richard George from DPIRD and Professor Brett Harris from Curtin University talk about a targeted approach to finding water in fractured bedrock aquifers deep beneath the Wheatbelt landscape. Drawing on the results of Phase One of the WaterSmart Farms program, where 75% of sites struck usable groundwater, the conversation covers how precision magnetic surveying is dramatically improving drilling success rates, what reliable groundwater means for farm decision-making through dry periods, and what's needed to take this method from research into broad industry uptake via Phase Two's voucher program. The Ripple Effect project - Grower Group Alliance WaterSmart Dams project - Grower Group Alliance Water Smart Projects gallery - Grower Group Alliance MADFIG is delighted to announce the release of our first Podcast! - MADFIG WaterSmart Dams: Understanding dams with the Water Evaluation Platform - SW WA Hub WaterSmart Farms voucher program - DPIRD Water Evaluation Platform Hub news - Drought Hub

Australia’s Southern Rangelands are some of the most variable and challenging pastoral landscapes in the world. Climate variability, rising costs, legacy land condition and large-scale operations can make it challenging to make management decisions and know where new technologies can genuinely add value. In this episode, landscape ecologist Richard Marver from Contour Consulting and Krystie Bremer, Executive Officer of the Gascoyne Pilbara Rangelands Initiative (GPRI), discuss the planning work underway through the Smart Grazing, Stronger Lands project. Drawing on decades of experience across the Southern Rangelands, they explore how a challenge led and place-based approach can support better grazing management. They discuss the role of local knowledge, peer to peer learning and demonstration sites in helping pastoral businesses assess where targeted technologies may improve decision making and drought resilience. The episode also explores the difficulty of navigating the rapidly growing agtech industry. Richard and Krystie discuss the SW WA Hub’s developing AgTech Adoption Guide, which aims to help pastoralists and advisers better understand available tools, likely costs and where different technologies may suit different operations. The conversation highlights that successful technology adoption is not simply about new tools. It depends on matching technology to local conditions, business goals and management capacity. The Smart Grazing, Stronger Lands project is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program under the Natural Heritage Trust. It is is led by Adelaide University through the SA Drought Hub. This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Doug Hamilton. Southern Rangelands Revitalisation Program | Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development Gascoyne Regional Drought Resilience Plan Managing livestock health and disease during dry seasons - Drought Hub The triple bottom line: lessons from the Pastoral Business Toolbox - Drought Hub Virtual fencing and drone monitoring: enhancing rangeland management through AgTech - Drought Hub Hub news - Drought Hub

Virtual fencing could become a game-changer for Australian livestock producers, replacing kilometres of wire and hours of labour with a GPS collar and an app. But its potential goes well beyond convenience. By giving farmers unprecedented control over grazing pressure, virtual fencing is shaping up as a powerful tool for dry‑season management and climate resilience. In this episode, Esperance farmer Simon Fowler and SARDI researcher Bianca Agenbag unpack how the technology is helping producers maximise pasture utilisation, run virtual feedlots through feed gaps, and protect precious feed reserves when seasons turn tough. They also discuss the research underway to help farmers assess whether virtual fencing stacks up economically for their own operations. This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Doug Hamilton. Virtual fencing: breaking down boundaries in livestock grazing - SW WA Hub Virtually Fence Free project (Future Drought Fund) - NQ Dry Tropics Commercialisation of Virtual Fencing for Livestock - SARDI / PIRSA Virtual fencing for improved drought resilience on South Australian farms - SA Drought Hub Virtual fencing for improved drought resilience on South Australian farms - SW WA Hub Virtual fencing provides productivity gains from strip grazing in broadacre farming - SW WA Hub Hub news - Drought Hub