Farmer News
1 August, 2026
Preparing for seasonal uncertainty
DAMP, cool conditions and shorter days are an ideal time to relax in front of the fire and consider changes that might make your farm easier to manage during seasonal uncertainty, drought or planning for future seasons.
Changes might include upgrading your water supply, installing a stock containment area or changing your business model.
All of these can be expensive, time consuming and not without risk.
According to land management extension officer Clem Sturmfels, developing a strategy requires careful planning.
“Like any changes on the farm, the starting point in developing a strategy involves having a clear vision of what you want your farm to look like in the future,” Clem said.
“Sitting down with your family, discussing and agreeing on a vision and set of goals is an important first step. This can be a challenging and confronting process, particularly when multiple generations are involved.
“Asking a third party to act as a mediator can be a great help. An honest assessment of your financial position will aid in decision making, even if that results in you seeking outside employment, contracting, setting up an alternate business model or transitioning out of farming entirely.”
Clem believes a good understanding of the risks to your business is critical when making this assessment.
How often has drought affected your farm, what was its impact, when is it likely to happen again?
What are the other risks associated with running your business?
“Writing stuff down is important, as it encourages everyone to share their ideas and reflect on others’ points of view,” he said.
“It doesn’t need to be fancy, a simple list of dot points noted on a piece of paper, on the fridge or a nearby window is all that is needed. Drawing a simple picture of the future farm is another good option.”
Clem believes that having a large, laminated farm map can be an enormous aid in this process.
It can be used to plan out a new layout, locate laneways, locate new dams and design water reticulation systems.
Using erasable marker pens means various alternatives can be considered, altered or erased.
“Taking photos of your map can be a useful way to record your various ideas,” Clem said.
“There is no right or wrong way to prepare for seasonal uncertainty and drought as every farm is different.
“For some farmers, protecting pastures and maintaining ground cover is the main priority. For others, it may be maintaining their breeding stock or cash flow.”
He suggested possible strategies to improve your drought resilience could include increasing on-farm fodder storage of grain, hay, straw and silage; upgrading your farm water supply and investing in Farm Management Deposits.
He also suggested commencing or increasing the trading side of your business, sowing drought tolerant pastures and installing a stock containment area.
“The last strategy, installing a stock containment area (SCA), has been embraced by farmers across Victoria who have found SCA’s a great way to make better use of fodder reserves, speed up feeding, reduce stress and protect soils and pasture from overgrazing.
“Many of these strategies are covered in the Farm Business Resilience (FBR) Program which supports farmers to develop the knowledge and skills they need to improve their farm business and be better equipped to manage the impacts of drought and a changing climate.”
The program is jointly funded through the federal government’s Future Drought Fund and the state government’s Future Agriculture Skills Capacity Fund.
Farmers across all agriculture sectors can express their interest in the FBR program by visiting the Agriculture Victoria website.
For more information about drought support available visit http://www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/drought or call 136 186