Recovery
Recovery from an emergency (such as flood, fire, drought, disease or biosecurity) can be complex. There are a range of supports in place to help landowners and managers, and some common tasks that will need to be carried out as part of any recovery.
The Dairy Emergency Response and Recovery Plan-on-a-Page is a handy document to have in the dairy or somewhere clearly visible for use during emergency response, but also during the recovery period after the threat of an emergency has passed. Of particular assistance in recovery is the list of contacts specific to your business and geographic location, and suggested actions to take (which may alter depending on the type of emergency you have just experienced). This resource is most effective when you prepare the contact information and tools before the emergency unfolds.
Report damage on your farm
NSW DPIRD gather, analyse and report on damage to primary industries and animals after natural disasters.
The primary industries natural disaster damage assessment (PiNDDA) survey is a simple online survey which farmers, NSW DPIRD staff, Local Land Services (LLS) staff, and agricultural industry representatives can use to record damage from natural disasters such as floods, fires and storms.
The PiNDDA survey allows landholders to:
- complete a simple survey identifying the number of crops, animals, infrastructure and other primary industries damaged in a single event
- add photos to the assessment
- see the severity of damage in the area.
Dairy farmer experiences following natural disaster events
Throughout 2023-2024, the NSW DPIRD Dairy Unit led the Storm and Flood Industry Recovery Program, which was an Australian and NSW Government funded initiative to address the long-term recovery and resilience of the NSW dairy industry following the storm and floods in NSW during February and March 2021.
As part of this Program, almost 30 dairy farmers across the state participated in extensive interviews and data collection to gather information on their experiences, actions taken, decisions made and lessons learnt. Watch this video to hear from three NSW dairy farmers who discuss their experiences of recent floods and wet weather.
From this data, a series of case studies titled “Dairy Farmer insights into Natural Disasters” were developed:
Whittingham Community Flood Plan video
Animal health considerations video
Recovery through networks video
Case studies were also developed by Scibus after interviews with dairy farmers across NSW following the 2021/22 floods which look at farmers approaches to feeding systems, preparation and infrastructure.
- Appendix M(1) Managing the impact of floods and persistent wet on a new lease enterprise (PDF, 1219.59 KB)
- Appendix M(2) From devastation to “more prepared” within 12 months (PDF, 911.02 KB)
- Appendix M(3) Years of preparation helps to weather the storm! (PDF, 1056.11 KB)
- Appendix M(4) Flexible feeding systems keep cows well fed during record wet winter (PDF, 1429.94 KB)
- Appendix M(5) Investing in shelter and refuge (PDF, 643.27 KB)
- Appendix M(6) Future-proofing feed and fodder availability (PDF, 1033.44 KB)
Drought, floods, fires
DroughtHub
The NSW Government has set up the DroughtHub – there you will find information and support for looking after livestock, business and financial assistance, managing property, and much more. The Managing drought, fire and flood guide also has chapters around feeding livestock and includes strategies and actions that farmers can consider related to drought, fire and floods.
The Drought, Fire and Flood Recovery Guide is a useful resource designed to support producers across NSW facing the challenges of extreme weather events.
Managing wet conditions
Dairy Australia has a large base of resources related to management during and after floods and wet conditions. This short Recovering from flood factsheet outlines the key actions to consider immediately after a flood event. Other resources focus on assisting farmers recover from floods and wet conditions, as well as consider feeding management strategies in wet conditions.
Lost, diseased or injured livestock
Tracing livestock
This factsheet on Tracing livestock has some useful information related to identifying and finding livestock following disaster events.
Managing and treating lameness
Lameness can become a significant issue, particularly during times of floods and wet weather. Early detection of lameness is vital in being able to treat the issue and maximise recovery. There are multiple resources available that assist farmers in identifying and managing lameness, as well as treating lameness. These include:
- The Complete guide to preventing and managing lameness, produced by Dairy Australia
- Managing lameness in wet conditions
- The Lameness field guide: a pocket guide to on-farm treatment of lameness, produced by Dairy Australia
- There is also a Healthy Hooves course available through Dairy Australia’s Enlight training program which covers lameness prevention and treatment
Moving livestock
It may be necessary to move livestock during or following an emergency, and as part of that farmers need to consider how their livestock will be traced. This guide assists farmers to consider what they need to do to ensure their livestock are traceable following an emergency.
Pasture recovery following natural disaster
Pasture recovery after fire
Fire can have a devastating impact on pastures, although many pasture species have the ability to recover. The extent of the damage and the ability to recover depends on many factors, such as the heat or intensity of the fire, the pasture type, soil fertility, previous grazing management and seasonal conditions before and after the fire. Agriculture Victoria have developed a Quick Reference Guide for pasture recovery after a fire, while the following information details various elements of pasture recovery and impact of fire on soil.
- Pasture recovery after bushfires
- Pasture recovery after fire - Agriculture Victoria
- Pasture recovery after fire - WA DPIRD
Pasture recovery from flood
Flooding and wet weather conditions, particularly extreme wet weather, can impact soil health along with pasture growth and recovery. These can include loss of nutrients from the soil, compacted soil through loss of aeration, drowned pastures and physical damage (e.g. pugging and sacrifice paddocks). There are many challenges related to managing pastures following floods and wet conditions, particularly when paddocks are not able to dry out quickly and are damaged post-event, such as being used as a sacrifice paddock or having pugging develop.
Paddock renovation and wet soil management
Renovating paddocks and restoring the milking platform to pre-flood or wet weather performance is a long and sometimes complex process. Farmers have to balance removing paddocks from the grazing rotation for renovations while ensuring adequate feed is available through the remaining paddocks or supplemented with additional purchased feed. Agriculture Victoria has produced resources related to Managing Wet Soils, and include topics such as paddock drainage, alternate feeding areas, grazing management to reduce soil damage, pugging management and paddock restoration. Resources of particular relevance to paddock renovation and soil management are listed below.