Drought Advice & Preparation
Drought by definition is a prolonged period of less than average rainfall which can last several weeks to several years, all of which is in the hands of mother nature. Being proactive is crucial to the survival of your operation through a drought. The correct analysis of natural resources available and how to best utilise these in the optimal way in preparation for a drought is what AOS can help you do. We will help you develop crop scheduling, livestock rotation and forage storage plans and work out how best to survive the worst of what Mother Nature can throw at the farming industry.
Example Seasonal Plan “A” - Normal Rainfall Seasonal Conditions
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Know your livestock or crop carrying capacity
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Conservative livestock numbers and conservative cropping hectares
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Conserve sub-soil moisture on cropping areas
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Conserve forage both in the paddock and the shed as adequate long term feed becomes available
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Utilisation of Fertilisers and soil conditioners for the future
A natural process controlled by improvements and seasonal condition
Example Dry Seasonal Plan “B” - Dry Seasonal Conditions
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Moderate livestock numbers on properties
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Reduce cost structure for operation running costs
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Increase Rotation grazing speeds around paddock groups
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Reduce as much pressure on current pastures and fodder as possible
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Supplementary feeding for breeding Females to maintain high conception and calving rates with as much protein and energy intake as possible
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Maintain high watch on all water supply systems
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Weed and grass control on crop paddocks to maintain sub-soil moisture
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High protein and energy feeds for (cash-flow) sale cattle to enable weight gains to hit weight spec’s for target markets
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Sell all none productive cattle