Heat stress in sheep is a big problem in Australia. Exposure to high temperatures can compromise reproductive health, with the farm gate cost as a result of reduced reproduction rate estimated at $168 million per year. In the absence of tools to mitigate this impact, future climate scenarios are likely to make it worse. 

Drew Radford speaks to Associate Professor Will van Wettere, Dr Jamee Daly and PhD student Bobbie Lewis Baida from the University of Adelaide, along with Dr Alice Weaver from the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), about their important research into mitigating the impact of heat stress in sheep, with the aim to improve weaning rates. 

The SA Drought Hub is facilitating work on adoption of practical methods for sheep producers to enhance sheep resilience to heat stress.

Todd Woodard is the managing director of Peel Pastoral, a 2900-hectare grazing enterprise at Wrattonbully in South East South Australia. Todd talks to Drew Radford about mitigating the impact of dry seasons and the importance of developing systems that help producers make good decisions early to not only improve production, but also reduce anxiety. In operation since 1976, Peel Pastoral currently runs 1400 black angus cattle and 4000 composite ewes, with a focus on regenerative farming practices including time-controlled grazing, biological farming techniques, and low-stress stock handling. 

James Kerr manages Buckleboo Station in the northern Eyre Peninsula of South Australia. Owned and operated by Paroo Pastoral Company, the station runs dorper sheep on 100,000 hectares. Host Drew Radford speaks to James about recent initiatives to build drought resilience, including the installation of telemetry technology, upgraded infrastructure, and the division of paddocks into more manageable grazing areas. This work has been supported by the SA Arid Lands Landscape Board through funding from the Australian Government's National Landcare Program. The station is currently involved in an SA Drought Hub project on ground truthing satellite imagery for use in pasture management.