Drought Readiness in Livestock Systems

back to News

Ellice Hahne (FCG Midwest)

We are now in our 2nd consecutive dry summer, with farmers having to house their livestock on hot days and feeding them the silage that they would have liked to keep for winter. At Groundswell, I attended a talk which addressed why some farms are coping with drought better than others. The research focused on a sample of beef farms and asked those that had fared better: What did you do differently? What worked and what surprised you? The key takeaways are summarised below.

  1. Resilience is built before the drought starts, it is not a last-minute fix.

Farmers who suffered less from the 2025 drought than others reported that they had  adapted their farming system after the 2022 drought. This can take different approaches, but the consensus was not to stress the grass too much – reduce stocking rates where possible, allow longer rest periods, consider mob grazing (see Phil Cooper’s article on the subject) and leave some breathing space in the system.

The result: while growth slowed on farms that implemented these elements, it did not stop, and the grass was ready to react to rain when it finally did come.

  1. What you see is as important as the data you collect with technology.

As in any crisis, ensure you look at the effects of what is going on. The data may tell you to panic, but the evidence may tell you otherwise! Walk the fields, check your livestock, watch their behaviour and act early if needed.

For example, keep measuring grass but instead of chasing targets and worrying if you do not reach them (this you cannot control), use the data to watch out for trends, and let them inform your decisions. This will not always remove the anxiety around the situation, but acting on what you can observe and control will help you trust in your decisions.

  1. Context matters!

There is no one-size-fits-all solution, observe your issues and act accordingly. What works for your neighbour may not work for you!

ccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc

Other highlighted practical points to prepare for drought included: ccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc

  • WATER: Ensure you have adequate water infrastructure. Is the water pressure sufficient to keep up with higher demand on hotter days? Could you look into rainwater storage, or do you need to install better pumps?
  • SHADE: Dense hedges and in-field trees can provide shade for livestock. Interestingly livestock in the research group seemed to walk in and out of shade, picking the sun over shade at times. The consensus is still that shade should be available – is now the time to try agroforestry, or to plant some more hedges?
  • TREES / WOODLAND: Woods can provide some shade and shelter and create a microclimate, but must be well thought out to fit the system. Livestock will generally spread out more in woodland.
  • SUPPORT: informal support mattered more to the participating farmers than formal support. Building up communities, WhatsApp groups, and informal catchups helped deal with the anxiety of drought, made people feel less alone with their issues, and gave reassurance on decisions.

Final thoughts?

Don’t wait until you are in a crisis to start dealing with it! Droughts are likely to become more common, so think now about what you can do to be more resilient in the future. The talk at Groundswell and this article outline a few ideas, but we know how adaptive farmers and farming systems can be, have you got other ideas? What would work for you?

If you would like to discuss how you can make your system more resilient to drought, please contact Ellice at ellicehahne@fcgagric.com or your local FCG office.

Categories