Building drought resilience in South Australia – the SA Drought Hub podcast

Each year, millions of dollars' worth of grain is left in paddocks due to harvest losses.

In this episode, Independent Machinery Specialist Brett Asphar of Specialised Ag joins the SA Drought Hub podcast to unpack the practical steps growers can take to get the most out of their harvesters this season.

Brett shares a straightforward approach to:

• Adjusting headers to reduce grain loss

• Improving machine performance and fuel eff...

In this episode, Drew Radford is joined by consultant Mick Faulkner from AgriLink and the Mid North High Rainfall Zone (MNHRZ) Farming Systems Group. 

The podcast explores the outcomes of frost risk management trials at Farrell Flat, a high-risk “Red Zone” in South Australia’s Mid North, and dives into how trial work, supported by the SA Drought Hub through funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, is helping gro...

In this episode, Drew Radford is joined by Lucy Porter; SA Drought Hub Regional Soils Coordinator, and Mary-Anne Young; former Soils Officer with the Department of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA), to explore the current drought conditions across South Australia and ways to manage soils in dry times.

They unpack how this dry spell compares to previous seasons, key considerations before taking action to manage ...

Join Chris Davey of Next Level Agronomy and WeedSmart Australia, as he talks tips for managing a dry season, herbicide safety and navigating potential residues at seeding time.

Growers can also access dry season information for crop and pasture management ⁠here⁠. The resources on this page have been collated by the SA Drought Hub team and are of relevance to SA farmers and regional communities. They are to assist in decision making ...

If you have livestock in containment ahead of the season break, what do you do if the rain doesn’t come?

This episode of the SA Drought Hub podcast explores the considerations around keeping sheep in containment in a dry season, how to decide when to let them out before lambing, and what you need to do if you don’t have any green pasture ready for their release.

Host Drew Radford speaks to Deb Scammell from Talking Lives...

With conditions drying out in 2023, many producers are concerned about whether their feedbase will get them through the season.

In this episode of the SA Drought Hub podcast, we hear from the University of Adelaide’s Associate Professor Matt Denton about the project he’s leading on feedbase management for improved drought resilience in low to medium-rainfall regions.

Matt is joined by Brenton Kroehn, who runs Borung Poll Merino Stu...

The SA Drought Hub was launched in 2021 as one of one of eight Hubs established across Australia through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.

Two years later, it is firmly established in the South Australian agricultural landscape, working with more than 70 partner organisations to strengthen the drought resilience and preparedness of the state’s farms and regional communities.

In this episode of the hub podcast, Direct...

Join leading agribusiness advisor Cam Nicholson, a partner at Nicon Rural Services, in this SA Drought Hub podcast episode dedicated to helping livestock producers prepare for and withstand drought conditions.

With the Bureau of Meteorology warning of an increased likelihood of El Niño and below-average rainfall, Cam – who runs a beef and sheep farm himself – shares insights developed through many years of experience and his work ...

In June 2023, the Bureau of Meteorology upgraded its El Niño outlook from WATCH to ALERT, indicating a 70% likelihood of an El Niño event. This will probably bring drier conditions – and an increased chance of drought – to South Australia.

But what does ‘70%’ mean? And even if an El Niño arrives, drought isn’t inevitable. So how do producers deal with these uncertainties in a way that prepares their business for dry times, without ...

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 Bai...

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 40...

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 s...