Rural
9 December, 2023
Producers better armed for future heat stress and dry
Primary producers are better equipped to make critical business decisions with the Bureau of Meteorology and Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO’s, latest updates to My Climate View, the digital tool empowering farmers to sustain and strengthen the viability of their businesses in the face of a changing climate.
Now featuring local climate projections for 22 agricultural commodities, more farmers and land managers can prepare ahead for changes to their local climate, one of the biggest drivers of annual agricultural production and income.
My Climate View has four major updates, including:
a ‘future climate overview’ that provides users with a snapshot of projected changes across key climate factors for their location and commodity by the 2050s;
climate information for two more commodities – tomato and pork;
a feature that enables users to download reports and share key climate information with relevant peers, advisers or support networks; and
features to improve the experience on a mobile device.
The Bureau’s agriculture section manager, Elizabeth Johnston, said as parts of the country are experiencing extended dry and warm conditions, producers are asking whether similar patterns may occur more often in future.
“The new overview feature on My Climate View gives users the power to see, side by side, how projected temperature and rainfall for key times of the production year might change over time,” Ms Johnston said.
“So even if rainfall may not be projected to significantly change in your location, projected higher temperatures and potential increases in heat stress is something livestock producers should consider.”
The product presents past and future climate information, all in one place.
Climate information is available for the past 60 years, seasonal outlooks and for future projections for the 2030s, 2050s and 2070s.
CSIRO’s Drought Resilience Mission lead, Dr Graham Bonnett, said My Climate View will help primary producers plan to reduce drought impacts and build resilience.
“As we experience a changing and variable climate, My Climate View provides valuable insights for longer term planning allowing farmers to prepare and adapt,” he said.
My Climate View is developed by the Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO as part of the Climate Services for Agriculture (CSA) program and funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.
The CSA program team is developing further innovative climate information services that will better support Australia’s extended agricultural communities to adapt to extreme climate risks.
www.myclimateview.com
