Farming in hard times

During times of drought, it is important to make risk management decisions early.

PIRSA's drought support page includes a range of support services for people going through tough times, from the current outlook to farm advice and health & wellbeing links. You can also call their drought hotline on 1800 931 314. To go direct to their financial assistant page, click here; or for their health & wellbeing services, click here.

The Red Cross Drought Program can provide support during drought and now offers a wellbeing series, Dry Times Talks which is about hope in drought. Over five short episodes, you’ll hear directly from a diverse group of rural Australians and industry experts, sharing their stories and advice to help look after yourself, your family and community through dry and other tough times. Listen and watch for relatable, informative stories and practical tips to support wellbeing.

Seasonal information

• The latest seasonal climate updates for South Australia (and also Tasmania and Victoria) are sent regularly from the GRDC 'The Very Fast Break' email. Sign up to receive these seasonal climate updates. Moisture probes installed by the Eyre Peninsula Agricultural Research Foundation are used to inform the reports.

• PIRSA crop and pasture reports, are published every second month. These reports include a State summary and reports for district areas in South Australia, including those within the Eyre Peninsula.

Soil management

Drought conditions that reduce soil cover can make the effects of wind erosion much worse. See our soil management page for a range of resources including:

• Emergency measures to curb wind erosion are detailed on this PIRSA fact sheet.
• Read our six-page guide for Eyre Peninsula land managers on managing soils to avoid wind erosion.
• In 2019, a mixed farming masterclass was held at Lock, focusing on managing soil cover in variable seasons. This report contains the information presented including methods for assessing surface cover levels; maintaining cover levels over summer; and things to consider for remediating eroded areas and planning for sowing the year after erosion has taken place.

Other farm management resources

• This MLA page focuses on whether a pasture is likely to recover from extended dry conditions including an assessment that land managers can undertake themselves.
• This fact sheet from MLA focuses on looking after drought pastures.
• This calculator (spreadsheet) allows the user to compare the costs of feeding, agistment or selling livestock, as strategies to dealing with dry times.