CROPPERS across the country have either had a good year or a year where yield and quality potential were impacted by an excess of moisture, so it seems a strange time to think about drought.
However, officials tied up with the federal government's Future Drought Fund are urging the industry to plan for the next time the rains fail to deliver.
Tim Reeves, co-director of the newly formed Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub, a collaboration between government, academia, industry and community, funded by the Future Drought Fund, said farm businesses needed to be more informed to be more profitable in the face of future droughts.
Professor Reeves urges producers to act when their farming business is in a favourable position, such as is the case over much of Victoria at present, to enhance future drought resilience, as this is when farmers can have the biggest impact in preparing for the inevitable, difficult times.
"It's wonderful to see Victoria's farming communities generally doing well," Prof Reeves said.
"Part of our job now is to ensure this continues when the seasons inevitably turn," he said.
He said there were a number of drought mitigation strategies that required investment that could be don now while farmers were relatively cashed up.
"It could be long-term fodder supply, building stock containment infrastructure or looking at options to diversify the farming business, through geographic location, or transitioning into different production systems," he said.
"Renewable energy could also be an option, reducing energy bills while investing in environmental outcomes, while other off-farm investments can deliver a return, spreading risk."
The Victorian project is just one example of the Future Drought Fund in action.
In Queensland, a number of mentors and mentees have just been appointed in the second round of the Drought Resilience Leaders Program.
"Farming skills, including drought resilience, are passed down from generation to generation," said federal agriculture minister and member for Maranoa David Littleproud.
"This program is about facilitating those connections to benefit farming communities here in Maranoa and participants sharing their knowledge and experience," Mr Littleproud said.
Prof Reeves said there were four key stages of the drought cycle and steps must be taken at each stage of the cycle to build drought resilience and preparedness.
"There are the good times when there's a dollar in the pocket, and there are the uncertain periods, where an El Nino might be forecast and the future is uncertain," he said.
"It's during these periods where the rubber hits the road, with prompt, effective decision-making essential to limit drought's impact on a farming business.
"There is the drought itself, where risk and cost are front of mind - and mental health must be looked after - and the recovery where 'green shoots' are signalling things are possibly on the way back. "Here, farmers can ramp up effectivity, generate cash flow and set themselves up to go again."
"The Victorian Drought Hub will give farmers and rural communities tools to address vulnerability to drought through this cycle, with five regional nodes developing new ways to collaborate and drive on the ground outcomes for farmers and communities."
Cam Nicholson is part of the Hub's South-West node led by Southern Farming Systems and said putting in place clear decision-making metrics for when things start to turn was vital.
"The most critical period for drought resilience is where you reach that fork in the road moment where critical decisions need to be made," Mr Nicholson said.
"Hesitation or 'decision paralysis' in this point can be extremely damaging," Mr Nicholson said.
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