Clear mantra and simple maths help farmers manage water
22 Oct 2024
Managing farm water is one of the most complex challenges for grazing farmers. This season, some southern NSW farmers are facing unusually dry conditions, or ’green droughts’ marked by sporadic rainfall and unreliable forecasts.
To navigate these challenges, farmers must understand their current water storage, future needs, and how to bridge any gaps. This calculation relies on farm data, including dam size, depth, and livestock numbers, which may not always be readily available.
Martin Preuss, Senior Agriculture Advisor with the Drought Adoption Program at Local Land Services, emphasises the importance of knowing actual water needs.
“For instance, a cow with a calf can drink around 100 litres a day. For 100 cows over a 180-day summer, that amounts to 1.8 megalitres—much more than many expect, not accounting for evaporation losses,” he said.
Martin is one of several livestock and water management experts helping farmers to better understand their real water numbers through the Farm Water Management Planning project.
“Equipped with the real numbers, they can start to build a management plan that will give them confidence to manage their farm water needs, regardless of the conditions.” he explained.
Coordinated by NSW Local Land Services, this project involves various partners across southern NSW, including Holbrook Landcare Network, West Hume Landcare and Corowa District Landcare groups, Riverine Plains, Ricegrowers’ Association of Australia, the Western Murray Land Improvement Group and Local Land Services in the Riverina and Southeast regions.
Paul Simpson, Senior Land Services Officer, highlights the project’s mantra: “Know your numbers, know your needs, know the gap, have a plan.”
“Having and implementing a Farm Water Management Plan safeguards productivity and critically, provides options and flexibility for farmers especially in dry seasons and drought,” he said.
“We know it can be a complex task, but with the support provided through workshops run by experts in water management, water reticulation and water storage issues, farmers can create their own plan making it manageable and less stressful.”
Workshops, field days, and webinars are being held across the region to assist farmers, starting with Holbrook Landcare Network’s Farm Water Audit Lunch Litres webinars, one-hour sessions held during standard lunch breaks on October 29, November 12 and November 26.
Several field days will be held including Riverina Local Land Services’ Farm Water Management Day at Tarucutta on November 12, while Corowa District Landcare will host the Corowa Field Day on November 6.
Other events are being held throughout the year, with further workshops in early 2025 including sessions held by Corowa District Landcare, West Hume Landcare and Ricegrowers’ Association of Australia.
For more information about these events and to access resources, visit lls.nsw.gov.au/mfwmp or contact Paul Simpson on 1300 759 299.
The project is supported by the Southern Innovation Hub and funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.