Managing drought in 2026

NSW’s Managing Drought – 9th Edition (PDF) is an authoritative, producer-focused guide from DroughtHub, equipping primary producers with practical strategies to navigate drought’s full lifecycle—preparation, active management, and recovery.

This comprehensive resource (updated 2019) addresses the unique pressures on NSW graziers, croppers, and mixed farmers, blending on-farm tactics with financial, mental health, and community support tools. Key sections include pre-drought planning (feed reserves, water security, destocking triggers), in-drought decisions (livestock nutrition, trading stock, cash flow buffers), recovery actions (restocking, soil repair, debt restructuring), plus critical non-technical topics like family wellbeing, accessing rebates/FMDs, and government programs. It features checklists, decision trees, and regional contacts tailored to NSW’s variable climates.

Unlike generic guides, it emphasizes evidence-based triggers (e.g., groundcover thresholds, pasture budgeting) and integrates fire/flood overlaps, reflecting lessons from the Millennium Drought. Producers praise its no-nonsense approach to tough calls like early destocking to preserve equity.​