A record drought has been hitting farmers in the area around Hamilton in Victoria and climate change means these crippling dry spells will likely happen more often. Primary producers there are innovating to improve their operations so they're more diverse, data driven and have highly efficient animal feeding regimes.
00:00These sheep are hungry for fodder. Hamish Robertson might have to sell land or more of his flock to pay for it.
00:10So he's having tough conversations with his bank.
00:13They're saying, no, you can't have any more money. And you're like, well, what do I do?
00:17Do I feed the sheep? I can't afford to feed them. I can't afford not to feed them.
00:21Hamish is also studying for an agricultural scholarship.
00:24The sheep meat and wool producer is researching how to be more financially resilient during a drought.
00:30He's inspired after visiting successful farms with multiple income streams.
00:36If you have a diverse enterprise and you have a bit of cash flow that's not affected by weather so much, it can really help.
00:43It might look green in southwest Victoria, but rain falls at record low levels for the past year and a half.
00:49But Darren Sherman's innovations mean his lambs are doing well.
00:54He spent decades creating a system where he divides his sheep into special paddocks, depending on their life stages, often related to pregnancy.
01:03It helps with feed efficiency and means he hasn't had to sell sheep.
01:07So he'll send their lambs to market for high prices.
01:10In these years, there's opportunities. And if we can get in early and get the stock, keep them healthy, get the lambs on the ground, I think the reward is going to be there at the other end.
01:22Hamilton's the hub of this region. It was once touted as the wool capital of the world.
01:27Back then, booming profits created immense wealth. But that's in the past. Wool's now just one of many farming sectors.
01:35And it seems data and technology will be crucial to surviving this drought and those into the future.
01:42These local agricultural students visit farms and get advice using virtual reality.
01:48They're learning how to use the latest technology to track what's happening in the paddocks.
01:53The data is driving their efficiency, their decision making, their profitability, productivity and their resilience.
01:59Learning new techniques to tackle droughts now and into the future.
02:04The data is机 and the data.
02:13The data is driving wreaking out of water and the equipment where we all live.
02:17The data is critical to being virtual, moving to our supply chain at home.
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