Recent weather conditions signal further challenging times for land managers in the region.  Care is needed across all aspects of the farming business but a key consideration is ensuring protection of the core asset – soil.  Ensuring adequate surface cover is crucial.

Land condition monitoring has shown some interesting results in the Northern and Yorke region.  Based on assessment of surface cover levels (crop and pasture residues) and soil disturbance (looseness) on wind and water erosion prone cropping land, areas susceptible to wind erosion appear to have fared better than water erosion prone areas.

In March this year, surface cover levels for the Northern and Yorke region were the lowest of all regions monitored (Eyre Peninsula, Murray Lands and South East) after being the highest for the State in October.

Over summer, surface cover levels dropped the most in the Northern and Yorke region – for the fifth year in a row. It is unknown why this happens. The usual causes of surface cover decline are grazing, burning, tillage and natural breakdown but there seems no reason to suggest these are more pronounced in the Northern and Yorke region than any other region.

The proportion of land in the region at risk of wind erosion in March this year was 3.2%. This is lower than the average over the 8 year monitoring period of 4%.

However, the proportion of land in the region at risk of water erosion in March was at an all time high of 15.2%. This is more than double the average of 6.4%.

In the Northern and Yorke Region, the areas prone to wind erosion tend to be the lower rainfall areas while higher rainfall areas tend to be prone to water erosion, so these results suggest that the higher rainfall areas had a greater risk of erosion.

Interpretation of these results is that producers in the lower rainfall areas were more used to and proactive about responding to the dry conditions – by;
* reducing stock numbers,
* setting up feedlots,
* organising supplementary feed supplies,
* readjusting their budgets and so forth
from as early as August while many higher rainfall producers were still punting on the usual good rains in October. 

Now is the time to review your “what if” plans and check to see how prepared you are for a poor spring. Hopefully it won’t happen but as last year shows, it can. Have a think about what you will do if it doesn’t rain in September.

AUTHOR:  Trudie Stanley, Community Capacity, Rural Solutions SA

CONTACT: Trudie Stanley, Rural Solutions SA Clare Office, Telephone 8824 6253