What is a dry year in the pastoral southern rangelands?
A year or years in which feed and or water is much less than expected for the current carrying capacity (link to glossary, then scroll down to term), and is usually the result of prolonged periods of low rainfall.
Why 2023–24 is particularly dry and difficult for managers
Parts of the southern rangelands has experienced dry conditions for up to 5 successive years, which has reduced carryover feed and reduces the ability of pastures to recover when it rains.
Lower prices for pastoral cattle and sheep in late 2023, combined with high supplementary feed prices are significant additional challenges to pastoral managers.
What to do in this dry year
- Make decisions early – planning and early action benefits the business and everyone working in it. Refer to To hold or sell breeding cattle
- Consider your mental health and Seek help.
- Reduce stock numbers. Sell or agist livestock that are fit to load.
- For livestock to be retained, budget for adequate feed and water.
- For livestock that cannot leave the station and are not to be supplementary fed, consider humane destruction.
Looking after yourself, your livestock and the land
Pastoral manager, families and employees
DPIRD encourages any pastoral people in difficulties to contact and talk with support services and advisory services. Here are some links that might help:
- Regional Men’s Health Initiative for both men and women seeking wellbeing and financial counselling.
- Rural Aid provides assistance for primary producers and now has counsellors located in the WA wheatbelt.
- Rural West financial counselling service : freecall 1800 612 044 for free financial counselling services to assist primary producers.
- For more information on other support services available to help people in rural areas of WA find the assistance they need to deal with stressful situations, please view WA's rural support services webpage and directory.
- Pastoral Lease Rent Relief Application Form – Economic Conditions (Pastoral Lands Board DOCX, 184.99KB)
Your livestock and total grazing pressure
Where you can, remove livestock from the station. This is the single most important way of reducing animal welfare concerns.
If you plan to retain a core flock or herd of breeders, we recommend finding a suitable paddock for confinement feeding, and budgeting for feed and water until after the expected next pasture growth season.
For livestock that cannot leave the station and will not to be supplementary fed, consider humane destruction. See humane destruction of sheep and cattle (a PDF).
Some other resources
Transport
- Are sheep and cattle fit to be sold at a saleyard?
- Are sheep and cattle fit to load?
- Assessing beef cattle body condition for transport or sale at a saleyard
- Assessing sheep body condition for transport or sale at a saleyard
- Transport decisions for emaciated beef cattle (PDF)
- Transport decisions for emaciated sheep (PDF)
Supplementary feeding and water requirements
- Confinement feeding of cattle in drought: protecting the environment (NSW DPI PDF)
- Drought feeding and management of beef cattle – a guide for farmers and land managers (Agriculture Victoria PDF)
- Water requirements for cattle (FutureBeef web)
- Managing sheep in a poor season
- Supplementary feeding and feed budgeting for sheep
- Strategies and tactics for sheep producers in a poor season
Animal welfare/euthanising
Protecting your pastures for the future
Pastures on many stations will already be in poor condition as a result of several years of dry conditions, but it is worth protecting what you have. Once livestock are removed, feral and native grazing animals will still cause pasture degradation. We recommend controlling those other grazers, then switching off waters where livestock have been removed. Please consider the animal welfare of all animals affected by switching off waters.
When conditions improve, we recommend spelling paddocks for at least one full growing season to allow pastures to accumulate root growth and to reseed.
Degraded pastures are susceptible to wind and water erosion. Your local rangeland officer can provide some support for dealing with the increased risk of erosion.
Some other resources
- Animal welfare resources and publications
- Pasture condition and management guides for the southern rangelands
- Contact your local rangeland officer for advice on erosion management relevant to your lease.
Legislation
- Animal Welfare Act 2002 – This Act intends to 'reflect the community’s expectation that people who are in charge of animals will ensure that they are properly treated and cared for.' For dry years on pastoral land, this covers livestock and other animals affected by pastoral management.
- Land Administration Act 1997 – See Part 7 — Pastoral leases. Contact the Pastoral Lands Board for information on how this Act might affect pastoralists.
- Soil and Land Conservation Act 1945 – This Act covers erosion and vegetation management in the rangelands. Email the Office of the Commissioner of Soil and Land Conservation for more information.