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Livestock producers urged to plan summer water needs now

Sheep Central, September 18, 2019

AGRICULTURE Victoria is urging livestock producers to take steps to assess on-farm stock water  storage levels and make plans now for peak livestock demand periods over summer.

Picture: Agriculture Victoria

Land Management Extension Officer Kerri Goschnick said the prolonged dry period has impacted a number of on-farm dams that require further rainfall and run-off to fill.

“The biggest loss of water from your storages through evaporation occurs between October and March each year. When dams levels are quite low, water quality can be quite poor which in turn can affect livestock health” Mr Goschnick said.

Mr Goschnick said knowledge of stock drinking water requirements and potential souces of water were important for planning both annual and daily supply needs.

“Other farm water options can be investigated for your circumstances before levels become critical, such as stream extraction, groundwater, desalination and reticulated systems.

“Planning now will help you make informed decisions for the next three months and you can project this planning out six to twelve months or longer if there is little or no runoff,” he said.

Click on image to open booklet on Agriculture Victoria website.

“Weather forecasts from the Bureau of Meteorology are currently forecasting a relatively low chance of exceeding median rainfall across most of Victoria for the next three months, so it is a good time to also reconsider stock numbers while prices are good.

“On the bright side, if the next thunderstorm dumps 50 mm or more of rain, then your storages could be full in a matter of hours. All the same, it’s important to do the planning now to mitigate this potential risk.”

Agriculture Victoria has produced a booklet – Managing Farm Water Supplies – which covers farm water planning including farm water balance, stock water requirements, water quality, water testing, calculating dam volume and capturing rainfall from roof areas.

Source: Agriculture Victoria. The booklet can be accessed by visiting https://bit.ly/2UPsdL4 or by contacting Agriculture Victoria at North Central or North East offices or customer service on 136186.

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