BoM in the Bush – Linking Climate Science and Decision Making

BoM in the Bush – Linking Climate Science and Decision Making

While most producers regularly use 7-day weather forecasts, relatively few access forecast information on longer timescales. Fortnightly, monthly, and seasonal climate outlooks can provide vital information beyond the weather timescale, such as the likelihood of unusually wet, dry, cool, or hot conditions for the coming season. Incorporating longer term forecasts into on-property management planning helps producers to make better informed and proactive decisions, however these forecasts can often be difficult to find, interpret, and use in practice.
The Northern Australia Climate Program (NACP) extension team works to assist graziers in understanding and using long-term forecasts by connecting climate and weather experts from the Bureau of Meteorology and University of Southern Queensland with red meat producers across northern Australia. Our in-person station visits, tailored workshops and training events are helping regional producers to make more informed assessments of climate forecasts and understand the factors that can influence their specific region, from days to seasons ahead.
This talk will highlight how our 'BoM in the Bush' extension program is helping the grazing industry to manage drought and climate risk in northern Australia, and how feedback from producers is in turn helping to improve research and development outcomes for the industry. We will also discuss:

● Why does La Niña bring me rain in some years but not in others?
● What caused the failure of the wet season in 2021-2022?
● Why should I trust a forecast when it changes?