Local sheep producers tackle drought and climate change

Drought assistance, funding for environmental management projects and climate change will be hot topics at a meeting for sheep producers in the Cowra, Blayney, Woodstock, Lyndhurst and Mandurama districts on Friday December 15.

Tailored to meet the needs of local producers, the meeting at Mandurama Hall, 9 am until 12.30pm, will feature speakers  from NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) , Central Tablelands Rural Lands Protection Board (RLPB),  Lachlan Catchment Management Authority (CMA) and Centrelink.

Central Tablelands RLPB project officer, Jeff Eppleston, said while there would be information on assistance available to farmers coping with drought, discussion would also focus on developing tools and strategies to face the future.

“We’ll be looking at climate change in our own backyard,” Mr Eppleston said.

“Rather than limit the agenda to coping with drought, we plan to open the meeting with a look at climate data from the local region, identify trends and implications and discuss how producers can adapt in the longer term.” 

NSW DPI Bathurst district agronomist, Bruce Clements, said that even in normal years feed-gaps were common in the Central Tablelands, but the gaps could be reduced or plugged.

“Climate change may alter our pasture and animal production systems and may even require changes such as the introduction of different or new pasture plants,” Mr Clements said.

 “And when the drought does break there are measures producers can put in place to make sure they maximise the recovery and productivity of pastures.”

Sheep producers will be able to discuss funding opportunities for environmental management projects with Lachlan CMA’s Kieran Hawker and find out about drought assistance from NSW DPI, Central Tablelands RLPB and Centrelink.

The meeting is an initiative of the Woodstock Wool 4 Wealth group who saw that their need for more information to get through the drought and improve the future profitability of their enterprises would ring true to others in the area.

Lunch will be provided on the day and producers who wish to attend are requested to RSVP by Wednesday, December 13 to Jeff Eppleston, ph 6331 1377, facsimile 6331 6915 or email jeff.eppleston@ctrlpb.org.au