More tools for farmers to cope with seasons in new DPI service

Replacing the old seasonal conditions reports, the new online State Seasonal Update (SSU), will have five categories and use data from world-respected climate specialists. This will be “ground-truthed” by DPI staff and farmers.

The conditions information on the DPI’s droughtHub will be updated faster than the old system, and move to real time data as it evolves.

DPI director-general Scott Hansen said the new system includes a detailed vegetation cover index, rainfall measurements and a temperature outlook, while future reports are envisaged to include soil water index data, a rainfall index and pasture-crop index.

“It will highlight earlier when seasons are turning,” Mr Hansen said.

“Old seasonal reports were static and there was a lag time in producing maps. New technologies allow us to produce faster collation of key indicators, such as soil moisture. This will enable us to have them reported more frequently than monthly, so we are getting close to near real time data. It will be pretty specific down to the regions and even the parish level.”

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Mr Hansen said there would be a new series of categories to define conditions, including a new watch category. The first is a non-drought category, then two different drought watches. One of those is with indicators below the 30th percentile. When a region falls in this percentile, it will be an indication for farmers to be looking around at what measures they should be implementing to match the changing conditions. The second watch category is when conditions are improving. The next category is drought onset when soil moisture, rainfall and plant growth are at such a low level “you could be on the verge of drought”. The last is drought.

The data is focussed on 11 Local Land Service regions, with information supplied by the DPI, Bureau of Meteorology, the US Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, and Columbia University’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society. 

Minister for Primary Industries Niall Blair said :"I am excited by the work underway in DPI and what it will deliver to our farmers. "I've recently seen first-hand the grip the dry has on the Hunter. With that in mind this update will ultimately deliver important information to assist farmers make critical decisions to their business in good times and bad." 

A prototype of the new State Seasonal Update (SSU) was released today, reporting on the dry January and the outlook for the State’s 11 Local Lands Services (LLS) regions.

"Making the right decision early, based on solid information, is one of the defining factors of minimising and managing the potentially crippling effects when seasonal conditions take a turn for the worse," Mr Hansen said.

"This is about providing farmers and rural and regional NSW with the information they need, including two new Watch categories that highlight where conditions are at a critical point – either deteriorating towards drought or improving towards recovery.

The update provides an aggregated view of the State and reflect an ‘on average’ view of any particular region via an indicator that presents information in an easy to read graphic and small amount of commentary based on on-the-ground observations and feedback.

"This enhanced information provides an early warning as conditions deteriorate, but is different to previous processes where droughts were ‘declared’ to trigger assistance measures,” Mr Hansen said.

"There is a $300 million Drought Strategy offering a range of support measures that have gained strong traction - like the Farm Innovation Fund for on-farm infrastructure, Drought Concessional Loans from the Federal Government, transport for livestock in welfare cases and subsidies for transport of donated fodder."