Queensland Farmers Act Early to Beat Drought

When Dugald Spenceley sold 120 cattle after just five years as a rancher, it wasn't panic. It was planning.

Parts of southern Queensland are facing their second-driest summer on record. Karara received just 94 millimeters of rain between December and February, while the north enjoyed its wettest season in 15 years.

The split comes down to weather patterns. Tropical systems and cyclones drenched northern Queensland but never reached the southern inland areas, leaving the Darling Downs in the bottom 10 percent of historical rainfall records.

At Junabee near Warwick, Spenceley watched his pastures struggle for eight months. The grass couldn't support his usual livestock numbers, so he made the hardest call of his young farming career.

"The hardest part was deciding what to do, but the stress eased once he committed," Spenceley said. His goal is simple: protect the land now so it bounces back later.

Near Karara, Bruce McLeish is taking the same approach. The last time his property saw significant rain was in July, nearly unheard of in the region.

He's selling cattle while they're still in good condition and prices remain strong. Having weathered the 2019-22 drought, he knows waiting too long costs more than acting early.

"If the market's strong and your stock is strong, you're better to probably take it now," McLeish said.

The Bright Side

Innovation is blooming alongside the dry grass. David Andreatta built a temporary 7-kilometer pipeline to pump water from a neighboring property to his tomato and capsicum farm at Lyra.

The extra costs sting, but his crops are thriving. "Our quality has probably never been better," he said, with tomato yields higher than normal.

Winemakers in Ballandean just wrapped their fourth strong vintage in a row. Heat sped up the growing process, but the results impressed everyone.

"In a year full of challenges, we've produced fruit and wines we can all be proud of," said winemaker Leeanne Puglisi-Gangemi.

Even as Spenceley reduces his herd, he's buying a neighboring block and expanding. The confidence behind that move comes from a simple truth he believes deeply: "People have got to eat."