Links

The Agriculture, Food and Wine Division of PIRSA aims to help farmers through drought conditions and into recovery, assisting with information, training and access to government support programs.

General Links

Drought related information from Service SA (external site) with contact details for support services, local rural financial counselling, Centrelink payments, maintaining land conditions, managing stock and crops in dry times, the condition of the River Murray and the Murray-Darling Basin.

The National Agricultural Monitoring System (NAMS) contains a range of climatic and production information, for dryland/broadacre and irrigated industries, for over 600 regions throughout Australia.

The South Australian Farmers Federation (SAFF) (external site) is the united lobbying voice for rural South Australians. They provide a contact point for enquiries about exceptional circumstances and other drought-related activities. SAFF's feed and seed register (external site) provides a register of available seed, fodder and agistment. 

The Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) (external site) supports drought-affected farmers, rural communities and agriculture-dependent small businesses, providing information on drought assistance and exceptional circumstances declared areas, and fact sheets on drought issues.

The Australian Taxation Office provides assistance to farmers and other taxpayers whose income is derived from drought-affected areas, with a number of special taxation measures and concessions available (external site)

Centrelink (external site) provides assistance to farmers, small business, the wider community and farm hands in communities that have been affected by drought.

Eight regional Natural Resource Management Boards (external site) provide an integrated approach to managing SA's natural resources  (including managment of our soils, water, plants and animals and the diversity of our landscapes and ecosystems).

ABC Rural (external site) begins a focused look at what's happening around the country as farmers in all states look to the skies for rain. 

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Industry links

Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) (external site) has available a variety of information to assist Australian woolgrowers with decision making and best management practices during drought conditions.

Dairy Australia (external site) has a lot of helpful, practical information that is useful to all farmers, including weekly grain and hay reports.

The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (Agriculture) has information on the nutritive value of various animal feeds (external site). Although no new data has been added in recent years, the database is useful in times of drought and other emergencies.

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Other state government drought-related sites

New South Wales Agriculture (external site)

Queensland Government (external site)

Victorian Department of Primary Industries (external site)

Western Australia Department of Agriculture (external site) (select climate from the left-hand column)

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Technical support and training

FarmBis provides up to 65% subsidies for primary producers, fishers and land managers to undertake business management training. FarmBis lists training providers and courses currently available.

Farmers Info Australia (external site) has a wide range of articles related to drought management.

Rural Solutions SA (external site) provides specialised consultancy services and products for customers in the primary industries and manufacturing sectors, cosuing on sustainable results for business, the environment and communities.

Dairy Australia in cooperation with dairy companies provides a one-on-one independent advisory service support program to help dairy farmers review their business and plan for the future. Taking Stock (external site) is a free service that identifies the most important physical, financial and human issues affecting the business and develops management plans to ensure sustainable profitability.

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Weather Forecast and Climate Change

The Australian Government Bureau of Metrology (BOM) (external site) provides information about weather conditions and climate, including

The South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) provides information on climate (external site) including timely seasonal climate risk information through their ClimateSupport service.

The Long Paddock website, provided by the Queensland Government, supplies decision-support information services to help clients better manage climatic risks and opportunities, including information about and links to the AUSTRALIAN RAINMAN package, HowWet? and HowOften? The site also has information relating to the whole of Australia, including El Niño Seasonal Oscillation (ENSO) information and daily Seasonal Oscillation Index (SOI) values, SOI graph and phases for the past three years and a summary of how the current SOI is likely to influence Australian climatic conditions.

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