Information for growers
This page contains information and links to support growers during the recovery phase following a cyclone or flood event.
Land and water
Floods and cyclones may cause water erosion, loss of topsoil, water quality issues and damage to paddocks, dams and other suface water management works. Please note the Department of Primary Industires and Regional Development (DPIRD) recommends getting specialist advice on dealing with any significant erosion or damage to banks and dams.
- Water erosion in the agricultural region of Western Australia
- Roaded catchments
- Excavated tanks (Farm dams)
- Emergency chlorination of farm water
- Water logging and salinity risk warning for the grainbelt (March 2017 AgMemo article)
- Gully erosion - filling deeper rills and gullies with top soil is not recommended. It is better to strip topsoil, fill eroded areas with subsoil, then replace top soil. It is pointless doing any of this if the cause of soil erosion is not identified and those causes treated in conjunction with the gully filling exercise.
Cropping
Depending on your situation considerations include controlling weeds to conserve valuable soil moisture or planting crops to use excess moisture from water-logged soils. Summer flood events can heighten risk of crop diseases and pests during the growing season.
- Managing waterlogging in crops and pastures
- Summer weeds
- Crop diseases - forecasts and management
- Is it too wet to deep rip (February 2017 Media release)
- About the pestfax newsletter
Livestock
The aftermath of a storm poses significant safety and health problems to livestock, and consideration needs to be given to:
- Hypothermia in sheep
- Humane destruction and safe disposal (please see document section of this page).
- Supplementary feeding and feed budgeting of sheep
- Contaminated farm dams
- Water quality for livestock
- Agistment
- livestock health issues such as worms, flystrike, lupinosis and annual ryegrass toxicity (ARGT).
You should ensure that you check your property and animals only when it is safe to do so. You should:
- check your property for hazards, such as sharp objects, dangerous materials, live wires, and contaminated water before moving animals
- during daylight, check your livestock for any injuries and release them into safe and enclosed areas
- reintroduce food slowly and in small portions if your livestock have been without food for a long period
- allow access to clean water.
If your companion animal is missing, you should contact your local government.
Producers also need to ensure livestock movements are recorded on the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) database. The sheep NLIS helpdesk can provide telephone and email support to producers requiring assistance with any aspect of the NLIS process.
Farm biosecurity
Floods can create a feed shortage for affected livestock.
To resolve this, you may buy in or accept donated feed, or you may agist your animals on another property. Both of these actions pose a biosecurity risk of introducing pests, diseases and weeds to your animals and your property.
Farm biosecurity checklist for sheep producers
Other support
Landholders do not have to face a disaster alone.
There are many support networks and forms of assistance available to rural communities and individuals. WA's rural health, financial and information services support directory provides useful information on the nature of the services available and how to access them.