We have just passed the shortest day of the year in Australia. Even though we are well into winter, in Northern NSW it often feels as if it doesn't really get cold until we get past the winter solstice.
Last weekend saw blizzard conditions and gales in southern NSW and Victoria. The Central West and parts of the Northern Tablelands had plenty of snow and sleet.
While winter in Australia may not be as harsh as winter in other countries, it can still be pretty challenging for livestock.
This image was captured at Guyra on the Northern Tablelands of NSW by the Ray White Team.
Snow, sleet, rain and cold winds form a pretty nasty combination of conditions for your livestock. If you run a sheep enterprise you know these conditions can be fatal, particularly for lambs or for sheep off shears.
The Bureau of Meteorology provides an excellent warning system for these weather events. Sheep graziers alerts are critical in preparing to manage cold spells.
But these warnings are not just for sheep graziers! If you have livestock, you should act accordingly.
In conditions such as these cattle can suffer just as badly as sheep. If you have an early calving herd, or cows in Fat Score 2 or below, your cows are just as much at risk as your sheep. Wind chill can particularly effect your cattle and cows without sufficient body condition can struggle to cope with conditions.
To manage these conditions, you need to plan early. Moving cows to more sheltered paddocks will limit the wind chill effect and help them avoid the worst of the weather. Its often a few degrees warmer in shelter, particularly if cows can keep out of the wind.
Its also important to assess your feed options. If cows have access to plenty of roughage or dry standing feed, this will be a great help. The process of digestion on roughage releases a lot of heat, and that helps cows see out the worst of the cold.
If you have been feeding your cows, hay is the best option to manage the cold snaps. As with paddock roughage, the digestion of hay releases plenty of heat. Hay is a much better option to feed your cows during snow, or wet cold conditions than many people may realise.
Fortunately for most graziers the snow won't last weeks! However if you are unprepared a snow event, or even a very cold wet and windy period can result in livestock losses.
Several years ago I remember Brahman cattle were bought from the Gulf Country to the Northern Tablelands in July. The day after they arrived it snowed! Unfortunately there were losses among those animals.
Planning ahead by providing some plenty of hay and shelter may have helped these animals cope with conditions much better than they did.
More importantly prior planning factoring in the weather and its effect on light cattle may have meant the cattle would not have been delivered to the Northern Tablelands in a period when snow and sleet were likely to occur.
I've heard it said "there's no such thing as bad weather. There's only the wrong clothes!" Well I reckon for graziers, we can't avoid the weather, we just have to adapt. And if you can plan early, you can minimise the effects the cold and help keep your cows warm this winter.