The Future Drought Fund’s Drought Self Assessment Tool (DR.SAT) is free and enables users to:

• Undertake satellite image and NDVI comparison of their properties between different dates
• Obtain climatic projections and long-term trends for their property
• Assess the farm business’s current resilience to drought in the areas of economic, social and environmental management
• Set goals for building drought resilience.

The tool can be accessed at: www.drsat.com.au

The Future Drought Fund’s My Climate View (formerly Climate Services for Agriculture) tool provides users with location-specific information on seasonal and monthly rainfall outlooks, and medium and longer term climate projections for rainfall and temperature.

The tool can be accessed at: myclimateview.com.au

Livestock Management resources from Limestone Coast Landscape Board, a SA Drought Hub partner. These resources include up to date factsheets and guides, apps and calculators and the latest industry resources including:

• Grazing management information from SheepConnect SA
• Drought Management information from Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA).

Landscape South Australia – Limestone Coast | Livestock Management

The Australian Feedbase Monitor is a world-first tool to help producers improve grazing management, forage budgeting and ground cover.

Note: The Australian Feedbase Monitor is FREE for MLA members.

Australian Feedbase Monitor | Meat & Livestock Australia (mla.com.au)

Comprehensive brochures on livestock, pastures, ground cover, water management etc, through drought from Kondinin Group (publishers of FarmingAhead.)

These reports are published through the droughtinfo.com.au initiative, funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.

The initiative’s key aims are to:

• Grow the self-reliance and performance (productivity, profitability and sustainability) of the agricultural sector
• Improve the natural capital of agriculture for better environmental outcomes
• Strengthen the wellbeing and social resilience of rural, regional and remote agricultural-dependent communities.

View and download the Kondinin Drought Reports

View the SA Arid Lands Landscape Board’s videos on:

• The virtual fencing trial at Wintinna Station 
• Wintinna Station Virtual Field Day, which includes discussion on how the trial was implemented, the time taken to induct cattle and factors that affected results. The recording also shows where the virtual fencing was used and where cattle moved as a result.

Virtual fencing for improved drought resilience on South Australian farms

This publication highlights the purpose, benefits and experiences of sheep producers managing sheep in confined areas during
drought. ‘Droughtlot’ refers to the maintenance feeding of sheep in confined areas, primarily in order to minimise pasture and related environmental degradation.

Download Managing sheep in droughtlots: a best practice guide

There are many different ways to set up feeding systems for containment ewe areas. Presented by Deb Scammell from Talking Livestock, this video hears from five Barossa Valley farmers who are using a range of systems including:

• Silaged-based containment feeding
• Self feeders and hay in containment pens
• Communal trough in central feeding pen
• Trough feeding in the  containment pen
• Total mixed ration in troughs.

Silage and total mixed rations with feed mixers. These farmers discuss the positives and negatives of each system.

Watch the video

Livestock SA webinar on containment feeding for optimal sheep health, presented by Dr Colin Trengrove of ProAg Consulting.

View the webinar

A series of fact sheets for managing sheep production in dry times from AWI Extension SA (formerly Sheep Connect SA). Topics include:

• Dry Times Scenario 1 – Comparing the Cost of Feed
• Dry Times Scenario 2 – Dry Matter vs As Fed
• Dry Times Scenario 3 – Calculating Dry Matter Intakes
• Dry Times Scenario 4 – Basic Ration Diet Formulation
• Dry Times Scenario 5 – Ration Formulation Using the ‘Pearson Square’
• Dry Times Scenario – Calculating Supplementary Feed Amounts
• Dry Times – Drought Management Checklist for the Livestock Business
• Dry Times – Feed Budgeting in a Drought
• Dry Times – Livestock Management Options.