Impact of drought
Date: 01 Nov 2006 Author: Bill McKiernan
Pasture and paddock welfare
Decimated pastures
Pasture is usually the missed casualty of drought. Overgrazing by livestock during drought can seriously degrade pastures and soil, costing thousands of dollars to repair.
Learn to assess your pastures. See:
- Primefact 283 Visually assessing pasture condition and availability in drought
- Primefact 325 Pasture sustainability and management in drought
- Primefact 324 Measuring herbage mass – the median quadrat technique
- Primefact 323 Pasture assessment and livestock production
By the time animal condition declines, it may be too late
for your pastures and the environment
Animal welfare
Animals are the more obvious casualties of drought. If decisions are based purely on poor animal condition, drought strategies will be implemented too late for economic recovery and too late for pasture and soil sustainability. See:
- Primefact 284 Determining the condition of beef cattle
- Primefact 302 Fat scoring sheep and lambs
- Primefact 282 Visual and manual assessment of fatness in cattle.
Personal and financial welfare
Don't underestimate the social/psychological effect of a drought – watching the slow devastation of a farm and a business is hard on the producer but often harder on the rest of the family.
Financial planning must be done before and during the drought. See financial considerations in drought and:
Do not underestimate the affect of drought on the
people involved
- Prompts to assess your financial situation in drought
- Primefact 289 Financial considerations of selling stock in drought
- Primefact 292 Financial considerations of agisting stock in drought
- Primefact 291 Financial considerations of leasing land for your stock in drought
- Primefact 290 Financial considerations of feeding cattle in drought
- Primefact 306 Tax issues for livestock producers during and after drought
- Sheep transport costs calculator
- Primefact 300 Sheep transport costs – calculator instructions
- Feed cost calculator
- Primefact 356 Feed cost calculator instructions
- Primefact 357 Sources of market information and
If you run out of water there are no more options
Water
There is no substitute for water. If you run out of water there are no more options – carting water is not sustainable. See:
- Primefact 326 Water requirements of sheep and cattle
- Primefact 269 Stock water – a limited resource
Lessons from past droughts
- act early
- plan to handle drought
- review
- plan again.