The latest news, events and opportunities from the SW WA Hub
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Welcome from the Director
Welcome to the latest edition of the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub (SW WA Hub) newsletter.
A big thank you to everyone who reached out for assistance with the two open Future Drought Fund (FDF) grant rounds. It’s always a pleasure to support WA grower groups and consortium partners in navigating the process and connecting project proponents—whether here in WA or across state lines—to help bring great ideas together. Now that expressions of interest for support have closed, our team is busy reviewing all inquiries. Best of luck to everyone submitting applications for the FDF’s Long-term Trials and Resilient Landscapes grants, which close on November 19.
This month, the SW WA Hub team attended several industry events, with the Agronomy Conference in Albany being a personal highlight. It offered a fantastic opportunity to learn about the latest agronomic research and network with industry leaders. I especially enjoyed co-leading one of the final day’s field tours through the vibrant horticultural and food hub around Manjimup, where we got to see some incredible innovation up close. A standout for many of us was visiting Jake at the Three Ryans farm to see a truly mixed farming system, and Jen and Mitch Riseley at Willarra Gold to get an inside look at their passion fruit operation.
With harvest already underway for some and just around the corner for others, I know many of you will be spending long hours in the header. It's a perfect time to tune in to our Dry Season Resources podcast. We’ve got 26 episodes covering a range of topics to help farmers prepare for a dry season, from early planning to tactical decisions as the season evolves. You can find it on the SW WA Hub website or wherever you listen to podcasts. Short on time? Our 2-minute videos with farmers and industry experts are packed with quick, practical tips for preparing for a dry season.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to colleagues, friends or clients.
Dr Jo Wisdom | Acting Hub Director
South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub
Dry Season Resources
Dry Season Resources podcast
Listen to the SW WA Hub's Dry Season Resources podcast on the Hub website and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Autonomous spraying to preserve soil moisture in the northern Wheatbelt
Mullewa farmer John Flannagan and Tom Holcombe, Field Operations Lead at SwarmFarm Robotics, discuss the benefits of using autonomous spraying technology in WA's northern wheatbelt.
Dry seeding strategies: tackling risk amidst changing rainfall patterns
In this episode, we explore how changing rainfall patterns are reshaping seeding strategies and risk management across Australia. We are joined by Rachel May, Farming Systems Adoption Officer for the South Australian Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub, and Peter Newman, farm business consultant with Planfarm.
'Dry Season Shorts' video series
In this series of short videos, producers, researchers and other industry professionals provide practical advice to deal with dry conditions on-farm.
Check out our latest videos:
- The fine line between maximising benefits in a good season and minimising losses in a poor year | Leon Clarke, grain grower
- Practical tips for making, storing and allocating hay and silage | Dario Nandapi and Siobhan Smith
- A more resilient landscape through improved soil health | Rob Hetherington, grain farmer
Hub Projects in Focus
Visualising paddock-level data for enhanced farm profitability
The Yield Profitability Research Dashboard allows the visualisation of yield data by paddock alongside paddock statistics and weather observations, production data, profitability analysis, and the probability of yield exceedance.
The dashboard, developed by the Centre for Crop and Disease Management (CCDM) with funding from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry through the SW WA Hub, is a comprehensive tool for researchers to collaborate with farmers and advisors to understand within-paddock variability.
It supports the diagnosis of yield constraints, associated management practices that may overcome them and the likely return on investment of any treatments applied.
Southwest farmers share drought resilience insights in new case studies
As part of its role as a Regional Node of the SW WA Hub, South West NRM has been working closely with a group of 10 growers located between Mundijong, Boyup Brook, and Busselton since December 2022. This group was selected to track the effectiveness of various drought adaptation strategies, with the goal of creating a series of case studies that share the group's experiences and lessons learned with the wider agricultural community.
Following the record-breaking dry season of 2023/24, five of these growers were re-visited for an in-depth look at the impacts they were facing and the adaptations they had implemented. Most were producing hay and/or silage and reported average yields about 50% lower than in previous years.
Three additional case studies were developed to explore related issues, such as water storage and pasture management. A key message generated across the case study collection was the value of acting early. Feed budgets using Rumen8 software had, in many cases, facilitated early decision-making.
Improving farm dam management for emissions reduction and water quality
Progress continues on the Preliminary Investigation of Methane Emissions from Farm Dams in Western Australia. The UWA Centre for Water and Spatial Science (CWSS) has deployed sensors at a pilot site to assess methane emissions, aiming to develop methods to gather data on how improved water management could reduce these emissions.
While methane emissions from dams may form a small part of a farm's total carbon footprint, better dam management also supports water quality, which leads to better livestock health and productivity, and a more effective spray program.
This project is part of the SW WA Hub’s Transformational Program, funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund. This program aims to drive transformational change in agricultural practices to enhance drought and climate resilience in WA.
Drought Hub Team Out and About
Showcasing drought resilience practices at MLA Updates
The SW WA Hub team had a strong presence at the MLA Updates in Perth on 10 October, where the Grower Group Alliance and the SW WA Hub hosted a booth showcasing a range of practical resources. Knowledge Broker Tanya Kilminster, Adoption Manager Julianne Hill, and Adoption Officer Alison Lacey were on hand to engage with attendees and share insights on drought resilience strategies.
“We had great conversations about practical ways to manage livestock during dry seasons,” said Julianne Hill. “There was a lot of interest in the Feed365 project and our Dry Season Shorts videos.”
The booth featured resources on confinement feeding and livestock management during dry seasons, along with information about the eight national drought hubs.
The SW WA Hub team also engaged primary producers to identify key priority areas for investments in building drought resilience for their businesses and communities. This feedback helps the SW WA Hub develop relevant resources and target future research to address critical gaps.
Hub Regional Node hosts workshop to help producers prepare for drought
On 23 October, South-West NRM, a regional Node of the SW WA Hub, hosted a 'Preparing for Drought' workshop at Rylington Park in Boyup Brook. The event brought together experts and organisations dedicated to building drought resilience.
The program included a drought and desalination case study by DPIRD's Richard George, and a presentation on natural capital in agriculture by Tom Picton-Warlow from the Barriers and opportunities for agricultural natural capital as an asset class project team.
"It was great to hear from Tom on the emerging opportunities for farmers through natural capital investment," said Hub Project Manager KJ Pritchard. "This approach can help build drought resilience, reduce business variability, and offer diversified revenue streams and equity."
This natural capital project is one of six transformational initiatives launched this year by the SW WA Hub with funding from the Future Drought Fund. The University of Western Australia leads the project in partnership with ECU, Mobile Global, and Yaraguia Enterprises.
Tina Astbury and Franco Renteria from Facey Group facilitated a session on confinement feeding and deferred grazing, while Michael Wright from Rhodes Pastoral shared strategies for enhancing on-farm drought resilience through sound water management. Additionally, Dr Mary Hanson from ECU discussed how big data can support farmers by providing insights on biosecurity risks, nutrition, and other factors critical in a changing climate.
Promoting resilience: SW WA Hub leads sessions at 2024 Agronomy Conference
Grower Group Alliance team members, including CEO Rikki Foss, Project Managers Dr Daniel Kidd and Maddison McNeil, Hub Director Dr Jo Wisdom, and Hub Adoption Manager Julianne Hill, attended the 2024 Agronomy Conference in Albany, themed “Adaptive Agronomy for a Resilient Future.” The conference highlighted innovative practices that drive resilience in agriculture, a key focus for the SW WA Hub.
Both Jo and Julianne were invited to lead parts of the conference program, reinforcing the Hub's commitment to advancing agronomy and drought resilience in WA. Julianne facilitated the conference Masterclass on October 21, designed for early-career agronomists and researchers to engage with top industry experts. Focusing on Resilient Agronomy 101, the masterclass covered essential topics, from soil amelioration and nutrition to risk management. Attendees also participated in networking and personal branding sessions to build valuable skills.
The conference Gala Dinner celebrated excellence in WA agriculture, with awards going to industry leaders, including DPIRD’s Mark Seymour (ASA Fellowship), Kerry Regan (Neil Fettell Award), and Brenton Leske (Young Agronomist Award). Geoff Fosbery was awarded the prestigious CM Donald Medal, while AHRI’s Professor Ken Flower also received an ASA Fellowship. Julianne served as MC for the event.
On October 24, Jo co-led a field tour with Dean Thomas from CSIRO through the horticultural and food hub of Manjimup, showcasing the region's innovation in viticulture, mixed farming systems, and horticulture. A standout visit was with young farmers Jen and Mitch Riseley from Willarra Gold, where attendees saw their passion fruit operation—from nursery and vines to their new production facility and value-added products (seen above).
Earlier this year, the SW WA Hub featured Jen in a Dry Season Shorts video, where she shared her strategies for reducing water use by 40% through a pressurised drip system and inter-row pasture cropping.
Relevant News, Events and Resources
Australia leading the world with drought management
Article from Beef Central, 1 October 2024
The head of one of eight drought hubs says a recent United Nations workshop has shown that Australia is leading the world in managing for dry seasons.
Associate professor Ben Lyons from the Southern Queensland and Northern New South Wales Hub and University of Southern Qld travelled to on of the United States most prestigious tertiary institutions, Yale University, with David Phelps from James Cook University’s Townsville-based hub to discuss a global effort to better manage drought.
Assoc Prof Lyons said Australia’s proactive management of drought had the country decades ahead of the rest of the world.
Attend a Changemaker workshop in Hyden, Manjimup or Harvey this November
The Australian Rural Leadership Foundation invites you to join one of their upcoming, free Changemaker workshops, designed for individuals who want to contribute to positive change in their community.
The workshops will take place on 14-15 November in Hyden, 25-26 November in Manjimup, and 28-29 November in Harvey.
The workshops are facilitated under the Future Drought Fund’s 'Helping Regional Communities Prepare for Drought Initiative'.
Consultation open for Regional Drought Resilience Planning (Wheatbelt)
The Wheatbelt Development Commission is inviting stakeholders to participate in the consultation phase for the development of the Wheatbelt Regional Drought Resilience Plan (RDRP), part of a national initiative under the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.
Over the coming months, the consultation phase will see the Commission engage with a range of stakeholders, including those from water management, agriculture, community development, and landscape management sectors, to gather input on resilience outcomes, goals, and challenges. Technical experts will contribute insights on potential projects and innovations to support long-term drought resilience.
Submissions close on Friday 15 November.
Have your say about My Climate View
The Future Drought Fund (FDF) is seeking feedback from users of the My Climate View tool and the Climate Services for Agriculture (CSA) program. Funded by the FDF, the CSA Program created My Climate View, a digital platform that provides farmers and advisers with localised climate information to address long-term agricultural challenges.
You are invited to participate in a confidential survey to share your experiences with the tool and the CSA Program. The survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. Insights gathered will contribute to an independent evaluation of the CSA program aimed at improving future design and delivery.
The survey closes on Monday 11 November.
Find out about the Future Drought Fund
The Future Drought Fund (FDF) provides secure, continuous funding for drought resilience initiatives and will help Australian farmers and communities prepare for the impacts of drought.
