Nic McGregor from AgVise Merredin and Ben Whisson from ConsultAg Kulin discuss the realities of farming in WA’s eastern Wheatbelt, highlighting the importance of getting the basics right: planning, execution, and cost control.

Nic and Ben share strategies for adapting to tough seasons, including building cash reserves in good years, knowing your numbers, and investing in areas like water supplies and crop diversity. Both stress the need for informed decisions, consistent operations, and self-care - because the biggest risk to any farm business is its people (their advice? Book a holiday!).

This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Shannon Beattie.

• Mitigating risk in a dry and variable climate - GRDC
• RiskWi$e – GRDC
• RiskWi$e – The National Risk Management Initiative – Grower Group Alliance
• De-risking seeding program – Adoption of key management practices for the success of dry and early sown crops – Baseline Survey Report (PDF)
• De-Risking the Seeding Program – AG Excellence
• Hub news - Drought Hub

In this episode, Dave Stead from Anasazi Consulting and Phil Smyth from Nutrien Coorow explore the growing array of weather tools and apps available to farmers. With advancements like smartphones and subscription-based services, farmers now have unprecedented access to weather data - but navigating the sheer volume of information can be overwhelming.

Dave and Phil share insights on how to leverage these tools effectively to make informed decisions on-farm. They discuss the rise of localised weather stations, the benefits and limitations of popular apps like CliMate and Meteorlogix, and the importance of understanding trends in weather models.

This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Shannon Beattie.

• Meteologix: Weather for Australia - Swiss Quality Weather Forecasting
• Bureau of Meteorology developments in long-term forecasting accuracy – the implications for autumn sowing - GRDC
• Farming Forecaster: helping farmers make decisions on livestock production - CSIRO
• My Climate View: Innovative climate tool expands to support more farmers - CSIRO
• Five forecast tools to help you make better decisions - Meat & Livestock Australia
• MyClimateView: how past and projected climate data can support on-farm decision making - SW WA Hub
• Your weather questions answered - SW WA Hub
• Australian Bureau of Meteorology
• Yr - Served by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute and NRK
• Windy: Wind map & weather forecast
• DPIRD weather stations
• CliMate
• Hub news - Drought Hub

Join Carly Veitch, farm management consultant at AgAsset and President of the Australian Association of Agricultural Consultants (AAAC), along with Ian Donaldson, senior manager of rural valuations at Rabobank, as they delve into the dynamics behind soaring land prices.

In recent years, land values have surged, and with increasingly variable seasons, buying land is becoming a tougher choice for many. Carly and Ian discuss the factors driving these price hikes, the challenges this poses for farmers, and the various options for expanding land access. Ian also shares insights into how pricing differs across regions, particularly in mixed farming areas in the eastern states.

This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Shannon Beattie.

• Hub news - Drought Hub