Women in Ag: Feeding Livestock in Dry Times
On Monday, we wrapped up our Women in Ag series with a field day focused on feeding livestock in dry times, led by the knowledgeable Lisa Warn.
Local women landholders gathered at a beautiful property in Mansfield for a morning of hands-on learning and discussion. With both cattle and sheep producers in attendance, there was plenty of shared experience and great conversation throughout the day — and despite the rain making an appearance, the mood was wonderful. (And really, who can complain about rain right now?)
Getting Started: Pasture Assessment
We kicked off the morning with an introduction to pasture assessment using the MLA Pasture Ruler — a practical tool for measuring pasture height and understanding what it means for your livestock's feed requirements.
From there, we headed out into the paddock to put it into practice. Participants assessed:
Species composition
Pasture height
Ground cover
You can find out more about the MLA Pasture Ruler and how to use it here.
Feeding in Dry Times
As the rain returned, we headed back inside for morning tea before settling in for Lisa's presentation on feeding strategies for drought conditions. With a mix of cattle and sheep producers in the room, the discussion covered a range of practical approaches to managing livestock when feed is scarce.
If you'd like to revisit the key information or missed the day, these resources from Feeding Livestock Victoria are a great starting point:
Wrapping Up the Series
It was a great way to close out the Women in Ag series — practical, grounded, and full of the kind of knowledge that participants can take straight back to their properties.
A big thank you to Lisa Warn for sharing her expertise, and to Jenny for hosting us on her property for the day.
This project is funded through the Regional Drought Resilience Planning Program with support from the Australian Government's Future Drought Fund and the Victorian Government.
