Decision-making to help farmers become more drought resilient: An SA workshop for farmers, advisers and industry representatives keen to map strategic decision-making actions before, during & after drought.

Drought-resilient farming doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when farmers make informed, strategic decisions — early and often, supported by timely, relevant information from experts. But what are these decisions, what information do you need and when should they be made so you minimise the impact of drought and recover more quickly?

We invite farmers and advisers to attend the Port Augusta pilot workshop for the SA Drought Hub DRINKS Project. Presented by Cam Nicholson, this workshop will focus on strategic decision making actions before, during & after drought for Pastoral and Rangelands production. By the end of the workshop you will have a plan identifying the main decisions and actions to focus on depending on seasonal conditions. This knowledge helps build a greater feeling of control and confidence that you are spending time on actions that will make a difference, both in the short and long term.

The workshop is followed by lunch at the Standpipe Restaurant, courtesy of SA Drought Hub.

Spaces are limited! Please register here to attend: Workshop Registrations

Project Details: 

The Drought Resilience Information and Knowledge Sharing (DRINKS) project is based on the model implemented by the Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub. Through DRINKS, the SA Drought Hub seeks to capture experiences from farmers from different farming systems, in different seasons, and use that knowledge to build the capacity of all farmers and stakeholders.

The aim is to develop enterprise-specific ‘base maps’ for key industries and regions in SA, that identify and describe the critical considerations farmers and advisers should focus on to build drought resilience. These considerations are based on the season and the stage in the climate cycle (good times, uncertain period, drought, and recovery).

About the presenter:

Cam Nicholson is a partner in Nicon Rural Services, a consulting business near Geelong working with the grazing and cropping industries and in natural resource management. Cam has been involved in many farmer programs for the GRDC, MLA, Dairy Australia, Southern Farming Systems and Landcare. He provides consultancy advice to farmers and lectures on animal and pasture systems at Marcus Oldham College. His most recent work has focussed on understanding and discussing risk in farming businesses and how to enhance decision making. He and his wife Fiona run a beef and sheep farm on the Bellarine Peninsula turning off cattle for the long fed Japanese market, lambs and wool.