Some key initiatives facilitated by Dairy Australia included: o Fortnightly drought bulletins distributed to more than 2,000 service providers that kept them up-to-date on industry activities and resources; o Funding for the ABS grain stock surveys (commissioned through the Feedgrain User Group); o An independent regional feed, grain and hay report specifically tailored for dairy farmers, distributed weekly since November 2006; o Dairy update radio spots broadcast on 30 radio stations in all dairy regions to improve coverage of drought information and encourage participation in local activities; o Bulletins for farmers and service providers on technical, policy and people support and other topics; o Fact sheets on a range of topics concerned with saving water in dairies; o An upgraded Dairy Australia website to provide a resource for farmers and service providers seeking drought-related resources and information; o On-farm monitoring through a sentinel farm survey to track on-farm responses and impacts instituted on 44 farms across Australia in November 2006; and o Regional drought response co-ordinators employed in each dairy region to improve collaboration, ensure effective communication, tailor region-specific responses, and provide feedback. Phase 1 of the drought response addressed the initial emergency situation from October 2006 to February 2007. To assess the impact of prolonged drought into autumn, Dairy Australia initiated the following activities: o Feed and water budgets for each dairying region; o A supplementary farmer survey (April 2007) to update the National Dairy Farmer Survey and assess the ongoing impact of the drought and determine the on-farm management and service support priorities; and o A fodder seminar (May 2007) to bring together industry stakeholders to assess and address the fodder shortage. These activities provided key inputs into the ADIC’s ‘Fighting Back’ strategy for drought response and recovery (May 2007) which resulted in new Australian Government funding to support the ongoing drought response. They also helped the dairy industry develop a strategy for phase 2 of the drought response to address the fodder shortage, which lead to the rapid roll out of the feed.FIBRE.future program (see below). FEED.FIBRE.FUTURE Business group: FPD, T&S Program: Phase 2 - National Drought Response & Recovery o Rapid response to drought-induced feed shortages o One-on-one consultations, tools and information to analyse, assess and implement feed action plans In May 2007, an inventory of hay and silage across Australia confirmed a national shortfall of forage during the rest of autumn and throughout winter. It was unlikely that dairy and beef farmers would be able to rely on traditional sources of fodder and roughage. Limited stock water also put additional pressure on farmers. With $400,000 from the Australian Government through the Industry Partnerships Programme, dairy and beef industry organisations led by Dairy Australia joined forces to co-ordinate the feed.FIBRE.future program with the support of DAFF, the Cattle Council of Australia, Meat & Livestock Australia, and the ADIC. The program was quickly rolled out across Australia to help dairy and beef farmers make informed decisions and to find alternative ways to feed their stock in harsh drought conditions. The feed.FIBRE.future program provides farmers with technical (nutritional and animal health) and management information so they can assess their current position, explore feasible options and develop and implement action plans using suitable decision support processes and tools. The speed of development and widespread regional delivery was in direct response to the urgency facing many farmers who needed to decide how to manage with reduced fodder and water. The first workshops were delivered only 13 working days after a Technical Advisory Group first met to develop an on-farm process for working through the issues and to develop the much needed information and tools. Thirty-five farmer seminar workshops and a series of communication activities by expert nutritionists were held in the major dairying and beef areas in June/July 2007. More than 150 service providers in drought-affected dairy and beef regions attended technical training sessions so they could provide farmers with up-to-date and appropriate advice. A technical pack of 10 fact sheets about critical issues such as risk factors with low fibre diets, alternative fibre sources and feed additives and feeding management tips was developed and distributed directly to farmers. To boost the decision making under these circumstances, and to take account of the differences between farms, farmers were able to access a program of one-on-one consultations through the feed.FIBRE.future program. The one-on-one workshop approach was piloted and delivery of these support activities commenced across Australia. Regular project and technical updates were provided to more than 2,500 service providers across Australia. A second phase of technical information was developed and delivered in July 2007 to complement the initial fact sheets, and focus on animal health issues and stock water management. Dairy and beef farmers have the opportunity to continue accessing workshop consultations throughout the 2007 winter. These workshops complement and support drought-response activities and provide opportunities for farmers who may not normally access these services. There remains a high level of urgency in delivering this support and other elements of feed.FIBRE.future as farmers are still making critical decisions and will continue to do so throughout 2007 in most regions.
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