Recovery after bushfire can often appear daunting and difficult for producers to manage and work through. After two bushfires in one year devastated 25,000 hectares of grazing land in the Barossa ranges of South Australia in 2014, the Barossa Improved Grazing Group (BIGG) realised the value in learning from each other and people who had experienced fires in the past.
With the help of local natural resources management boards, BIGG compiled a factsheet, case studies and videos detailing their own learnings with the aim of helping producers affected by bushfires in the future.
Project manager Georgie Keynes, whose family lost almost 6000Ha in the bushfires, says there’s a lot that can be learned from the Barossa experience.
“It has been a challenging few years since the fires. We’ve learnt a lot, sometimes the hard way, about managing pastures, the farm and ourselves,” she said.
“One thing that we found that was really important for recovery was engaging with the community.” Georgie said.
“Keeping in touch with one another meant they could compare plans and discuss pros and cons. It also provided a network of people who understood what we were going through.”
The challenge of balancing recovery with financial needs was another key learning.
“All producers destocked the burnt pasture for at least 10 months after the fire passed, allowing pasture recovery,” she said.
“But the monitoring BIGG performed showed that even with careful management, it will take years for our pastures to return to their pre-fire productivity.
“In the meantime, the affected producers still need an income. We’ve had producers who have tried a range of different options from long term agistment, to droughtlots, bringing stock back on early, and off-farm employment,” she said.
“There was no right or wrong answer, it depends on each family’s circumstances.”
The fires provided an opportunity for producers to change their whole farm plan, including areas for revegetation, different gateways and watering points.
“There was an aspect of finding whatever good we could in the situation,” Georgie said.
“Most producers have also moved to steel fencing materials and burying water pipes, which are less likely to burn in the event of another fire.”
Advice from Barossa farmers
Take the time to inspect agistment paddocks: While agistment can be a lifesaver after a fire, it’s important to check the quality of the paddocks. I had to regretfully reject a very generous offer of agistment because of high levels of caltrop which I couldn’t afford to deal with when the sheep would return home.
Greg Koch, Moculta, SA
Quick decisions are needed after a fire. It’s important to sit down with everyone in the business and think hard about what options will be the best in the long-term. I would suggest including a farm advisor or stock agent to help work out the details.
Graham Keynes, Moculta, SA
Seek advice from people who have experienced bushfire recovery situations and keep in contact with other farmers affected by the fire to ensure opportunities are not missed and provide a sounding board to help make the difficult decisions.
Michael Evans, Flaxman Valley, SA
