Widespread drought, increasingly variable rainfall and higher temperatures are raising concerns about climate change.

In a recent column I wrote about possible adaptation strategies for agriculture.

A new publication from Land and Water Australia features the different strategies used by 14 farming families around Australia.

These families were originally interviewed in 1999 about their innovative and profitable use of climate tools and then interviewed again in 2004 to see how the strategies were helping them during an extreme drought.

Lockhart wheat farmer Jeff Hoffman has analysed 112 years of rainfall records to develop a solid understanding of local climate and uses the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) to identify and manage years that are very different from the average.

Wimmera farmers Ian and Warwick McClelland use the SOI and the Agricultural Production System Simulator which models the influence of climate on wheat yields, and support the development of frost resistant and drought tolerant wheat varieties.

Bill and Anne Yates use the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration models to get a 15 day outlook on the weather for their property at Garah in north west NSW. They also use the SOI and check the Centre for Ocean Land Atmosphere Studies.

James and Libby Gardiner use holistic management to graze their sheep and goats at Cobar and as a result sent away most of their stock for agistment in 2002 to protect the groundcover on their property. They believe farmers have to be flexible and ready to change given the uncertain climate.

Hay farmer Tom Porter used an irrigation bore to grow millet and feed his sheep and keep them off the fragile soil elsewhere on the farm. He believes the changed climate is here to stay and that his farming system will need to change accordingly.

In times of great uncertainty, such as those we face today, it is vital to share ideas and practises to find better ways of doing things.

You can obtain the free 2005 Masters of the Climate Revisited book from Land and Water Australia by ringing freecall 1800 776 616. You can access the original 1999 case studies at http://www.cvap.gov.au/mastersoftheclimate/masters1.htm.

This column appears in Agriculture Today.