The Managing Rangelands for Drought Resilience initiative employed satellite-based vegetation mapping technology to provide early warnings, enabling farmers in western New South Wales to make strategic choices regarding feeding schedules, selling stock, and adjusting stocking rates. This project utilized the GEOGLAM Rangeland and Pasture Productivity (RaPP) tool, which was developed collaboratively by CSIRO, the Australian Government, and the National Landcare Programme.
Cindy Cassidy, Director of the Southern NSW Innovation Hub, highlighted the program's importance, which was conducted in partnership with NSW Farmers and Dr. John Leys of Wind Erosion Consulting. "Providing pastoralists with the opportunity to foresee future dry events and give them adequate time to put plans in place to mitigate its impact, is invaluable," Cassidy explained. She added, "What's also really exciting about this unique initiative is that it reflects a growing interest by pastoralists to take advantage of agtech tools and systems on farm to monitor and manage their rangelands."
The pilot study took place on Curragh, a vast 130,000-hectare property near Oxley in the Western Riverina, managed by Bill and Pip Ryan. They collaborated with Dr. Leys to evaluate the RaPP tool's capability in enhancing their on-farm management.
Dr. Leys explained, "RaPP satellite data is available monthly and shows three fractions of vegetation cover: green growing cover, dead non-growing or senescent cover, and bare ground." He noted that the Ryans successfully aligned their management decisions with the insights provided by RaPP data. "The trigger for on-coming drought was having less than 55 per cent vegetation cover in August. Low cover in August was closely correlated to below-average pasture growth, which was observed in the 'greenness' bands of the satellite data, in the preceding autumn and winter."
Bill Ryan reflected on their experience during the pilot, stating, "The technology showed that if vegetation was below 55 per cent in August, then by the following summer that cover was very likely to get below 40 per cent. Having such detailed information at our fingertips in spring provided us with confirmation and gave us the confidence and enough time to make effective decisions on managing our land, stock and business. This pilot showed the potential this kind of technology could provide farmers through providing reliable, independent data."
Gerard Glover, Chair of the NSW Farmers Western Division, emphasized the value of early information for pastoralists. "Having the tools available to predict the likelihood of drought and make timely business decisions can reduce expenditure and income loss, which will also help reduce stress levels for farmers. It's all about having knowledge you need to plan ahead with more confidence," he said.
The Managing Rangelands for Drought Resilience project represents a collaborative effort among the Southern NSW Innovation Hub and regional hubs across Northern and Western Australia, South Australia, Southern Queensland, and Northern NSW, as well as Tropical North Queensland.
Farmers can access the RaPP satellite mapping tool here.
Related Links
Managing Rangelands for Drought Resilience
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