Five New Farming Forecaster Probes In The Central West

Central West Local Land Services has in­stalled five new soil probe and weather stations as part of the Farming Forecaster Project. The sites at Mendooran, Geurie, Parkes, Jemalong (Forbes) and Grenfell, aim to equip graziers with predictive fore­casts on weather, soil moisture, and pasture production.

These sites will be incorporated into a wider network of soil probe and weather sta­tions across Australia. Rohan Leach, Mixed Farming Advisor at Central West Local Land Services, said the Farming Forecaster pro­gram operates by collecting data from the soil moisture probes and weather stations.

“The data is transformed into user-friendly weather and soil moisture data, which is readily available online” said Rohan.

“Farming Forecaster will also provide esti­mates of future pasture growth over the next 3-4 months, compared with historic seasons and climate forecasts.”

The website’s output will be a valuable re­source for landholders in the Central West, helping them make informed decisions about grazing management and understand the role of stored soil moisture in future pas­ture growth.

Paul Tognetti, the host of the Grenfell site, has found the probe and weather sta­tion extremely useful. “I’ve just started hav­ing a look at the data online and am really pleased with the info it is showing me” Paul said.

“The weather information is great with things like wind speed and direction great for spraying and the easy-to-read daily rain­fall chart great for my record keeping.

“This type of information will be invaluable for pasture management and livestock plan­ning in the Central West region, as well as managing risks associated with predicted declines in feed availability, such as con­serving fodder, purchasing fodder and/ or destocking.”

Learn more about the Farming Forecaster Project or to enquire about hosting a future site, please contact Rohan Leach on 0417 021 795 or via rohan.leach@lls.nsw.gov.au