Farming Forecaster is a powerful decision-tool delivering important insights for graziers into current soil moisture conditions alongside forecasts for future pasture availability and livestock performance. However, one forecast that was not on the horizon when NRM South first introduced the Farming Forecaster pilot project to Tasmania in 2021, was how successful this online tool would prove to be with farmers across the state.
Within its first year, the Tasmanian Farming Forecaster project had grown into a $1.4 million statewide roll-out, funded through an Australian Government Future Drought Fund grant. Rapidly adopted by Tasmanian producers, the project has since established a statewide network of 46 probe sites, including on Flinders, Bruny and King Islands, covering the majority of conditions experienced by graziers. The Tasmanian Farming Forecaster online platform has a current monthly average of 4,500 hits and has seen a total of 88,000 hits since its establishment.
Farming Forecaster is one of the only publicly available tools for producers that supports on-farm decision-making across increasingly variable and unpredictable seasons. Underlining the importance of this tool, agronomy consultant Jason Lynch from Pinion Advisory commented that ‘Supporting producers to make the right decisions at the right time has a big influence on their exposure to supplementary feeding, animal health and the supply of good quality products.’
Through our Farming Forecaster project, we have worked with over 150 producers, establishing a comprehensive network of probe sites, delivering training and a communications support package, and supporting the Derwent Catchment Project’s containment feeding initiative. As a result of this work, producers now have access to robust data on local growing conditions and tailored drought strategies that has given them the confidence to make informed decisions on feed budgeting, logistical planning, fertiliser use, stock management and improving landscape resilience.
Tim Ackroyd, Project Coordinator for our Land Program explained,‘‘Farming Forecaster helps livestock producers determine how much grass they can grow in a season and appropriate stocking rates. Getting this right is key to growing the productivity, profitability and sustainability of grazing systems. Through our ongoing conversations with farmers, we’ve seen concrete examples of sound decisions being made based on Farming Forecaster data that has been used as supporting evidence for refinancing, identifying if, and when, to destock or buy in stock, and preparing early for dry times.’
Farming Forecaster has also opened opportunities for important conversations about long-term natural resource management opportunities in farms, from soil health to biodiversity to the value of trees on farms – and even mental health. Livestock advisor Phil Graham remarked ‘The best thing we can do for mental health of producers is helping them be more confident in their decision-making. The key thing in drought is minimising the amount of money you lose while keeping your business profitable.
Working in partnership with NRM North, the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, and the Derwent Catchment Project, Farming Forecaster Tasmania has served as a flagship project for NRM South, delivering commercial advantages for farmers and natural resource management benefits.
We will continue to support the Farming Forecaster network at no cost to the sector until June 2026, and are seeking funding to continue extension and training in the use of the tool.
Take a look at a summary video of the Farming Forecaster project below:
‘Co-developing and improving digital tools for increased drought resilience with, and for Tasmanian farmers’ (Farming Forecaster Tasmania) was led by NRM South and delivered in partnership with NRM North and the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture and funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund Drought Resilience Innovation Grant Program.