New Victorian weather and climate guides will be among the first to be rolled out by the Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO.
The climate outlook guides will be developed for Australia’s 56 Natural Resource Management regions, with those for the Mallee, west Gippsland and Riverina among the first to be rolled out.
Federal Agriculture and Water Resources minister David Littleproud said the new guides would provide valuable information for the NRMs.
"The Bureau has a wealth of information farmers need and this will put it in their hands," Mr Littleproud said.
“Reliable climate information helps farmers make the best decisions they can to manage risks.
He said the project was being funded with $2.7 million from the Commonwealth’s Drought Assistance Package.
The guides would help farmers better understand temperature and rainfall ranges, frost risk, the onset and length of wet seasons, water storage levels and the likelihood and severity of drought, natural disasters and cold snaps.
"This will mean farmers won’t have to rely on guesswork to make decisions that affect their livelihoods,” Mr Littleproud said.
“This is particularly important during a drought like the one we're currently going through.
"The Bureau will start off trialling the service online and taking feedback from farmers to make sure it hits the mark.
The service was expected to be up and running early next year.
Andrew Miller
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
