Providing improved forecasting services to help the red meat and livestock industry manage the impacts of extreme climate events is the focus of a ground breaking new project aptly titled Forewarned is Forearmed.
MLA supply chain sustainability innovation manager Doug McNicholl said while considerable use was made of existing one- to seven-day weather forecast warnings for extreme events, there was limited information available on the probability of extreme climate events in the weeks or seasons ahead.
This project aims to improve the forecasting of extreme climate events... providing the red meat industry with forecasts of these events beyond the typical seven days, into weeks and seasons ahead.
“Australian agribusinesses operate in one of the most variable climates in the world, with extreme events and climate variability among the largest drivers of fluctuations in annual agricultural income and production,” Mr McNicholl said.
“This project aims to improve the forecasting of extreme climate events including high or low rainfall, heat, cold and frost, providing the red meat industry with forecasts of these events beyond the typical seven days, into weeks and seasons ahead.”
The improved forecasting services will be made available as a Bureau of Meteorology service via its website, and it is anticipated they may also interface with other producer websites and decision support products. The first of the new services should be available in 2021, with the project being finalised by early 2022.
The project is being led by Meat & Livestock Australia and is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources as part of its Rural R&D for Profit program.
Project partners include the Bureau of Meteorology, Monash University, Dairy Australia, Wine Australia, Sugar Research Australia, AgriFutures Australia, South Australia Research and Development Institute, BCG, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Agriculture Victoria, Australian Pork, University of Melbourne, University of Southern Queensland, Grains Research and Development Corporation, and Cotton Research and Development Corporation.