The South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub (SW WA Hub) is dedicated to sharing information that supports growers in preparing for and responding to dry seasons. In this podcast, you'll hear from growers and industry experts on managing dry season responses, ranging from early planning to tactical decision-making as the season evolves.
The SW WA Hub is led by the Grower Group Alliance and funded by the Australian Government's Future Drought Fund.
Publisher
Grower Group Alliance & The South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub
Make silage while the rain falls: preparing for dry seasons
Make hay while the sun shines, or in this case, silage in the years when the rain falls. Being prepared may be the best tactic a livestock business has for the years when the rainfall is irregular.
In this episode, Dr Jeisane Accioly-McIllree, Executive Officer of the Western Beef Association, and David Humphreys, Ferguson Valley beef producer and Vice Chair of Western Beef, reflect on a season that started strong but delivered little follow-up rain.
The conversation focuses on good management ahead of a long, dry summer. Jeisane and David discuss feed budgeting against stock numbers, testing hay and silage, buying feed on value rather than cost, storing it well and carrying some over into the next season. They also cover grazing management, regular condition scoring and offloading less productive stock early.
Practical resources are highlighted throughout, including Western Beef's borrowable hay and silage coring tools, the Rumen8 feed planning software, grazing management training, the Leading the Herd forums and the Western Beef alumni network.
The episode reinforces that dry periods are a regular feature of the south-west. Preparing in the good years determines how well a business gets through the lean ones.
This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Dr Mary-Anne Glanzlowe.
Better Making and Use of Hay and Silage – Mitigating drought and season variability effects for WA livestock industry - SW WA Hub (https://hub.gga.org.au/projects/better-making-and-use-of-hay-and-silage-mitigating-drought-and-season-variability-effects-for-wa-livestock-industry/)
Livestock nutrition in dry seasons with hay, silage and containment feeding - SW WA Hub (https://hub.gga.org.au/podcast/livestock-nutrition-in-dry-seasons-with-hay-silage-and-containment-feeding/)
Silage, is it all it’s wrapped up to be? - SW WA Hub (https://hub.gga.org.au/podcast/silage-is-it-all-its-wrapped-up-to-be/)
Rumen8 tutorial videos - Western Beef (https://www.westernbeef.org.au/hay-and-silage)
Rumen8 Easy Beef and Dairy Cattle Diets (https://www.rumen8.com.au/)
How to measure forage dry matter using a microwave - South West NRM (https://youtu.be/Wm9lr8cDlFk?si=F0soKaFM8eq7ZL0d)
How to sample forage - South West NRM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyKaOSD5_7A)
Hay and silage test corer locations and laboratory information - Western Beef (https://www.westernbeef.org.au/copy-of-hay-silage)
Hub news - Drought Hub (https://hub.gga.org.au/hub-news/)
21 Jul 2026
Rehydrating landscapes through Aboriginal knowledge
The Transformational Aboriginal Agricultural Methods (TAAM) project is exploring how Aboriginal knowledge and modern agricultural science can work together to improve soil health, restore landscapes and support more resilient farming systems.
This episode is part of the Indigenous farming methods series and in it, we speak to Clint Hansen, founder of Maaman Marra Boodjar, and Associate Professor Dave Blake from Edith Cowan University.
They discuss how Aboriginal knowledge holders, farmers and researchers came together to share their understanding of Country and explore culturally informed approaches to landscape rehydration. Clint explains how leaky weirs - built using locally sourced rocks, branches and soil - can slow water movement, capture sediment and seeds, and support the regeneration of eroded areas.
The episode also explores how soil testing, microbiome analysis, drones and sensor networks were used to measure changes in soil moisture, temperature and biomass across trial sites near Perenjori.
The TAAM project is supported by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub, through funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, Edith Cowan University and the WA Agricultural Research Collaboration.
This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Shannon Beattie.
'If we don't look after Country, we won't have anything' - National Indigenous Times (https://nit.com.au/11-05-2026/24207/if-we-dont-look-after-country-we-wont-have-anything-maaman-marra-boodja-founder-clint-hansen-shares-traditional-knowledge-of-the-land)
Video - Transformative Aboriginal agricultural methods: Maaman Marra Boodjar (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7BgdBO3pF0)
Video - Transformational program: pathways towards resilience in Western Australia (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSJ0M-CZO7g)
Field day blends Aboriginal knowledge and science for climate resilience - WA Agricultural Research Collaboration (https://waarc.org.au/updates/field-day-blends-aboriginal-knowledge-and-science-for-climate-resilience/)
Transformative Aboriginal agricultural methods: Maaman Marra Boodjar - SW WA Hub (https://hub.gga.org.au/projects/transformative-aboriginal-agricultural-methods-maaman-marra-boodjar/)
Hub news - Drought Hub (https://hub.gga.org.au/hub-news/)
24 Jun 2026
De-risking drilling to secure on-farm water supplies
Securing reliable on-farm water is one of the most pressing challenges for Wheatbelt farmers facing consecutive dry seasons, with some spending over $60,000 in a single year just to keep water up to stock.
In this episode, Dr Richard George from DPIRD and Professor Brett Harris from Curtin University talk about a targeted approach to finding water in fractured bedrock aquifers deep beneath the Wheatbelt landscape.
Drawing on the results of Phase One of the WaterSmart Farms program, where 75% of sites struck usable groundwater, the conversation covers how precision magnetic surveying is dramatically improving drilling success rates, what reliable groundwater means for farm decision-making through dry periods, and what's needed to take this method from research into broad industry uptake via Phase Two's voucher program.
The Ripple Effect project - Grower Group Alliance (https://www.gga.org.au/activity/ripple-effect/)
WaterSmart Dams project - Grower Group Alliance (https://www.gga.org.au/activity/watersmart-dams/)
Water Smart Projects gallery - Grower Group Alliance (https://airtable.com/appdE63MyblMgd8OA/shrM9sm9F7Z7JmqrT/tblC4xn5ksgA48pwH)
MADFIG is delighted to announce the release of our first Podcast! - MADFIG (https://madfig.com.au/madfig-is-delighted-to-announce-the-release-of-our-first-podcast/)
WaterSmart Dams: Understanding dams with the Water Evaluation Platform - SW WA Hub (https://hub.gga.org.au/podcast/watersmart-dams-understanding-dams-with-the-water-evaluation-platform/)
WaterSmart Farms voucher program - DPIRD (https://www.dpird.wa.gov.au/businesses/grants-and-support/watersmart-farms-voucher-program/)
Water Evaluation Platform (https://waterevaluationplatform.app/dam/)
Hub news - Drought Hub (https://hub.gga.org.au/hub-news/)
Who has been a guest on Dry Season Resources
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Dr Michael Young
Johno O'Halloran
Dr Nik Callow
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Spotify
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 31 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
39
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
60
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Questions about Dry Season Resources
Who hosts Dry Season Resources?
Shannon Beattie host the show. Published by Grower Group Alliance & The South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub.
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The show publishes bi-weekly, based on its RSS feed.
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