Dry Season Resources

Pastoralists Alys McKeough (Carey Downs Station) and Debbie Dowden (Challa Station) were sponsored by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub (SW WA Hub) to attend the 2025 International Rangelands Congress in Adelaide.

In this episode, Alys and Debbie share key insights and takeaways from the event, from global perspectives on rangeland management to the importance of international collaboration.

Alys and Debbie also reflect on the important role of women in rangelands leadership and how their contributions are shaping more sustainable, environmentally conscious practices. They discuss the ongoing challenges facing remote communities and highlight the need for strong support systems to build long-term resilience across Australia’s rangelands.

This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Dr Mary-Anne Glanzlowe.

Dr John Duncan from The University of Western Australia and Dr Daniel Kidd from the Grower Group Alliance discuss the recently released Water Evaluation Platform (WEP), which was created as part of the WaterSmart Dams project.

WEP is a web application that allows you to simulate the performance of a dam and its catchment allowing the landholder to understand and analyse the different options available. The WEP was designed with industry experts and growers to support individual farms, private contractors, water planners, and local communities to make drought-resilient investment decisions.

This episode highlights the different types of analysis possible through WEP, as well as the data required, and the process taken to get here.

This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Shannon Beattie.

• WaterSmart Dams: capturing and keeping water in dams - Dry Season Resources Podcast
• Centre for Water and Spatial Science | UWA
• The Ripple Effect
• WaterSmart Farms – water security and resilience in a drying climate. | Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
• WaterSmart Dams
• Introducing the Water Evaluation Platform (short video)
• Water Evaluation Platform
• Hub news - Drought Hub

In this episode, Dr Michael Young, from Farm Optimisation Group and Johno O'Halloran, a local farmer in Kojonup, explore how decision-making tools can help manage challenges. Decision fatigue is common, but using models and expert advice can reduce the load and improve outcomes.

The episode discusses the farm optimisation model that lets you test different scenarios, helping farmers move beyond gut instinct with data-backed decisions. Whether you're fine-tuning livestock vs cropping choices or considering incorporating legumes, this tool helps you understand potential outcomes and key drivers. Importantly, it's not about a computer telling you what to do, it’s a decision support tool for experienced and new farmers alike, which can be used solo or with a consultant.

This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Shannon Beattie.

• Youngs Farm Analysis - Research
• Identifying high-value tactical livestock decisions on a mixed enterprise farm in a variable environment
• Hub news - Drought Hub

Dr Nik Callow from the University of Western Australia shares insights from the WaterSmart Dams project, which aims to build resilient water supplies for cropping and livestock operations.

The episode highlights the issue of dams receiving less water due to lower rainfall, low runoff from catchments, and ageing dams; all exacerbating water shortages, especially during consecutive low rainfall years.

Solutions discussed include using repurposed tarpaulins to increase catchment runoff, daisy dam covers and vegetation to reduce evaporation, repurposing subsurface drainage systems, and decreasing leakage losses. Many strategies were grower-led, with the project aiming to understand and quantify benefits. Implementing a suite of solutions tailored to individual farming needs may yield better results for securing long-term water supply.

Water quality is also addressed, with some farmers offsetting water treatment costs through increased herbicide efficacy.

An episode on the Water Evaluation Platform (WEP) will be released soon.

The WaterSmart Dams project is jointly funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund and the Western Australian state government’s Agriculture Climate Resilience Fund, and is supported by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the Grower Group Alliance.

This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Shannon Beattie.

• WaterSmart Farms: Water Security and Resilience in a Drying Climate - DPIRD
• WaterSmart Dams: Making dams work again - Grower Group Alliance (GGA)
• Diving into WaterSmart Farms with Dr. Richard George (DPIRD) - Farming in the Eastern Wheatbelt | Podcast on Spotify
• Catching Every Drop: MADFIG's Role in the WaterSmart Dams Project (Roaded Catchment) - Farming in the Eastern Wheatbelt | Podcast on Spotify
• WaterSmart Farms: Wongutha CAPS - Farming in the Eastern Wheatbelt | Podcast on Spotify
• WaterSmart Farms Deep Drilling project with Dr. Richard George - Farming in the Eastern Wheatbelt | Podcast on Spotify
• WaterSmart Farms: Unlocking Opportunities with Desalination - From Stockwater to Spray Quality - Farming in the Eastern Wheatbelt | Podcast on Spotify
• WaterSmart Farms: Reverse Osmosis trials giving rural communities fresh water for the future. - Farming in the Eastern Wheatbelt | Podcast on Spotify
• Not all Water is equal: Water quality is the key to WaterSmart Dams (and Farms) - Farming in the Eastern Wheatbelt | Podcast on Spotify
• Hub news - Drought Hub

Business, landscape/production, and mental wellbeing are deeply intertwined, each influencing and reinforcing the others. This episode explores the interconnectedness of these three pillars of the triple bottom line in livestock production in the Southern Rangelands.

We are joined by agribusiness management consultant Richard Brake (Richard Brake Consulting), principal landscape ecologist/agroecologist Richard Marver (Contour Consulting) and rural counsellor and wellbeing health advocate Louise O’Neill (Farm Life Fitness). The three of them participated in the Pastoral Business Toolkit project led by the Goldfields Nullarbor Rangelands Biosecurity Association (GNRBA).

While isolation poses one of the greatest challenges for pastoralists, both in terms of mental health and business operations, seasonal variability remains a significant concern from a landscape and production standpoint. 

Our guests discuss how decision-making can be particularly challenging when each choice carries substantial weight for the business. Having access to the right resources can make these decisions far less overwhelming and more informed. They share key lessons from the Pastoral Business Toolkit.

The Pastoral Business Toolkit project is supported by the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR), through funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.

This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Shannon Beattie.

• FRRR Pastoral Business Toolbox: Kanandah - GNRBA
• FRRR Pastoral Business Toolbox: Morapoi - GNRBA
• Pastoral Business Toolbox heads to the Nullarbor - SW WA Hub
• Hub news - Drought Hub

2024 delivered a mixed season for Western Australian growers. It began with extremely dry conditions, then turned around with above-average rainfall through June, July, and August, leading to above-average yields in many regions. However, rising overheads and variable costs meant many farmers finished the year in a neutral financial position.

In this episode, we’re joined by Renae Piggott, Consultant with AgAsset, and Krista Lancaster from Ninghan Spraying and Ag Services and Project Officer at the Merredin & Districts Farm Improvement Group (MADFIG).

Renae hosted the Cultivating Profit workshops in 2024, designed to give young farmers an introduction into farm finances. Krista supported and attended one of these events.

Together, they explore the importance of planning ahead – rather than making decisions under pressure – and discuss key takeaways from the workshops, including how understanding financial ratios can support better decision-making. As Renae puts it: "The best time to prepare for a poor year is during your best years."

This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Shannon Beattie.

• Financial literacy for young farmers - SW WA Hub
• Hub news - Drought Hub

In this episode we are joined by a dynamic farming duo, Danielle Lannin England and Jonathan England, from AgInnovate. With a wealth of experience on-farm and in the wider agricultural industry, they share their advice after experiencing multiple dry seasons on their mixed sheep-grain farm in South Australia.

Danielle, who originally hails from a farming family in southeast WA, is a highly regarded consultant with expertise in farm business management and decision making. She shares her perspective from the farm office and highlights the importance of maintaining community connections during tough times.

Jonathan is a livestock expert with a focus on sheep production systems. He shares how adaptive management approaches, such as 3-week joining and confinement feeding strategies, can help maintain long-term health and productivity for farming operations.

This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Shannon Beattie.

• Top Tips for Season 2025
• Insights from the Grain and Graze Program
• Lifetime Ewe Management
• AgInnovate
• Hub news - Drought Hub

In this episode, we hear about new technologies in landscape management in the rangelands. Our guests are Megan Willis, Senior Research Officer from the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) and Richard Marver, landscape ecologist and director of Contour Environmental and Agricultural Consulting.

Megan shares insights from her project exploring the use of virtual fencing to manage livestock across rangelands, with benefits including enhanced, real-time herd monitoring and improved mustering efficiency.

Richard shares the potential use of drones to generate landscape-scale data to show pasture health and to help inform decision making for grazing management.

Together, they highlight how new technologies such as these might be integrated into existing agricultural systems to assist producers and landholders manage their livestock operations.  

This episode is brought to you by theSouth-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Shannon Beattie.

• SA Drought Hub
• Commercialisation of virtual fencing for livestock - DPIR, SARDI
• Contour Consulting
• Hub news - Drought Hub

Tam Connor, Learning and Development Manager, and Lance Mudgway, Landscape Planner and Hydrologist at the Mulloon Institute, explore the principles of landscape rehydration – using nature-based infrastructure and strategic land management to restore water cycles, enhance water quality, and build ecosystem resilience.

They also discuss the Communities of Practice Project, funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, which is empowering farming communities to adopt rehydration techniques and drive long-term landscape restoration.

This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Shannon Beattie.

• Communities of Practice Project — Mulloon Institute
• Hub news - Drought Hub

CSIRO Plant Physiologist Dr Sarah Rich and Facey Group CEO Tina Astbury discuss the Future Drought Fund project "Improving Sowing Opportunities for Increased Farm Resilience in a Changing Climate". They explore the potential of deep sowing, the current opportunities for adoption, and what’s on the horizon for this practice.

The episode delves into the mixed success of recent trials, highlighting that deep sowing isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution — it depends on soil type, seasonal conditions, and logistical considerations. Given its opportunistic nature, the discussion unpacks what’s needed to make deep sowing work effectively and when it offers the greatest benefits for farmers.

This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Shannon Beattie.

• Time of sowing fact sheet: when to sow wheat to minimise risk – Western region – GRDC
• Long coleoptile wheats – for deep seeding and optimising sowing window options - GRDC
• Evaluating Deep Sowing of Oats in WA Production Systems - Facey Group
• Long Coleoptile Project - Facey Group
• Getting deep and meaningful with canola and wheat - GRDC
• Long Coleoptile Wheat webinar with Sarah Rich (Youtube) - FarmLink
• Hub news - Drought Hub