STRATEGIES to lessen the impact of extreme weather events on the southern grazing system will be explored in a webinar later this month.
The webinar – ‘Forewarned is forearmed: Managing extreme events in the southern Australian grazing industries’ – will be held on Tuesday, 20 October, from 1pm AEDT, by the University of Melbourne’s Primary Industries Climate Challenges Centre.
The centre said the grazing industries need to adapt to the changing conditions they are now experiencing; in particular, the increase in frequency and magnitude of extreme events to ensure they mitigate the impacts of those on their livestock, pastures/forage and work patterns.
As part of the FWFA project, dairy and southern red meat reference groups have identified key extreme events of most consequence to their business and responses required to lessen the impact of those.
In this webinar, PICCC director Professor Richard Eckard will explore case study work undertaken to consider some identified extreme event scenarios in a southern grazing system. His research focuses on sustainable livestock production, nitrogen cycling and loss in grazing systems, with a recent focus on carbon farming and options for agriculture to respond to a changing climate. He is a science adviser to the Australian, New Zealand and UK governments, and the UN FAO, on climate change adaptation, mitigation and carbon policy development in agriculture.
The Q & A session following Mr Eckard’s presentation will be facilitated by Agriculture Victoria climate specialist Graeme Anderson.
Mr Anderson is an experienced science communicator and extension leader within Victoria’s agriculture sector. He leads a small team who deliver climate risk services, including The Break & Soil Moisture Monitor updates, climate webinars, ClimateDog animations and customised presentations for 100 events annually. These assist farmers and advisors in making sense of emerging issues and how to adapt their local farm systems.
Producers are invited to register for the webinar on the link below.
Register here: https://unimelb.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_rpu8hISMR3C8J_xT7bOrnA
For those unable to attend – this webinar will be recorded and made available on the PICCC website in the fortnight following broadcast.
The Forewarned is Forearmed (FWFA) project is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture as part of the Rural R & D for Profit program.
HAVE YOUR SAY