Saving Our Soils During Drought

The Saving Our Soils During Drought project aims to enhance drought resilience in Southern NSW by promoting the adoption of stock confinement feeding areas to mitigate the adverse effects of drought on livestock production systems and farm natural assets, particularly soils.

During droughts, soils that lose groundcover become highly susceptible to wind and water erosion, leading to significant land degradation, as evidenced by dust storms and severe soil erosion. Delivered by Hub partner NSW Local Land Services (LLS), the Saving Our Soils During Drought project addresses these challenges by demonstrating best practices in stock confinement feeding area implementation to foster widespread adoption.

Activities and outputs

15 stock confinement feeding area demonstration sites to showcase the benefit in maintaining groundcover and reducing erosion.
Producer case studies provide real-world examples of stock confinement feeding areas in action and document successful implementation.
A guide to confinement feeding sheep and cattle in NSW showing landholders and extension officers how to establish and manage stock confinement feeding areas effectively.
More than 30 events held across Farming Systems Groups, including workshops and facilitated visits to the demonstration sites to provide hands-on training and knowledge exchange.
Technical officers responding to more than 400 phone and email enquiries for assistance in establishing a stock confinement feedback area and support with design and implementation.

A large-scale approach combined with development of an extensive evidence base and the use of the strong collaborative networks across the Hub, NSW LLS, Farming Systems Groups and the Soil Knowledge Network, means the project ensures long-term sustainability and resilience for Southern NSW livestock and mixed farming operations.

Read the impact case study