FARMERS prone to severe weather events in North Queensland are arming themselves with the latest information to better protect their livlihoods.
Bowen and Mackay property owners impacted by Cyclone Debbie, were provided with tools to better prepare for severe weather events and seasonal change during recent seminars.
Bureau of Meteorology Senior Forecaster Michelle Berry acknowledged the BOM website could be difficult to navigate and provided farmers with information as to how best pin-point the most accurate forecasts for their farms.
“No other industry relies on weather forecasting as much as agriculture, it is their bread and butter and we recognise how vital it is for them to best access the information,” Ms Berry said.
“In terms of forecasting, we explain what we do day to day to deliver forecasts and warnings, with a particular focus on agriculture.”
Ms Berry said the bureau could provide accurate weather information pinpointing a specific property, which was updated every three hours, seven days a week.
She said farmers could use this data for future planning.
Ms Berry said while little could be done to protect a crop once a cyclone was baring down, information could be used to better prepare in advance.
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) Drought and Climate Adapation Manager Neil Cliffe said understanding climate variability was key to several programs being undertaken in the North, including the Drought and Climate Adaptation Program (DCAP).
“We look at the key climate drivers impacting on Queensland, particularly in north east Queensland, and how they impact on rainfall, and how producers can think about incorporating some of the climate forecast into their decision making,” Mr Cliffe said.
“The DCAP program is funding a lot of research, development and extension work around understanding climate variability to be more resilient to drought and to understand climate change.
“It is not just providing research and expecting farmers to digest it, it’s engaging with users and customising forecasts so producers can use it in practice.”
Mr Cliffe said El Nino and La Nina were major climate drivers in the Pacific.
El Nino is associated with dryer periods and drought, while La Nina is associated with more favourable rainfall, potential floods and cyclones.
Mr Cliffe said while the situation was neutral at the moment, some climate models were indicating a shift to El Nino later this year.
He implored producers to continue to update themselves on the current forecast.
“People need to be continually up to date on current conditions.
“Each farmer, whether they’re a grazier, or in horticulture growing vegetables, based on the outlook of the season ahead, can tweak their management plan to think about what the season might hold and make management decisions relevant to them.
“If it continues to be dryer, graziers might think about their stocking densities, how many to stock to hold moving forward, and it might not be good for new pasture establishment.”
Graziers Neale and Taina Williams, are self-funded retirees who run a small cattle operation at Strathdickie, near Proserpine.
Mr Williams said they run about 60 head of Brahman cross on their 100 hectare farm, The Glen, selling one or two truckloads straight to the meatworks annually.
Their property suffered damage in Cyclone Debbie, but Mr Williams considers themselves lucky.
“As far as where we live, structurally we got off fairly lightly, there was roof damage and water penetration, trees down and damage to fences, but we didn’t lost any cattle.
“Most of them were out and we put them back in the electric fence, there was a lot of trees down which was a long term process to clean up, the priority was to contain the cattle. We were without electricity for just under two weeks and had a 12 valt electric fence.”
Mr Williams said he was interested to hear from the experts as to how to better track the weather.
“I’m always open to learning and found the workshop very informative, particularly with more localised forecasting.
“It is more so for the year on year, seeing what’s happening rather than big weather events.”