Hunter current advice

Current advice for farmers in Hunter

Forecasts and key indicators, including soil moisture levels, suggest much of the Hunter could be drought-affected by June.

Seasonal and market indicators are providing practical insights to support on-farm decision-making with clear differences emerging between the Upper and Lower Hunter.

Data shows:

• soil moisture declining from October through to late summer
• a general increase in saleyard throughput
• a relatively stable Eastern Young Cattle Indicator (EYCI) providing confidence in market conditions.

Producers should monitor conditions and be prepared to act early.

Many producers have begun adjusting stocking rates. Record cattle yardings across Scone, Tamworth and Dubbo are signalling that producers are already making proactive decisions as seasonal conditions tighten across the Hunter. Strong demand for restocker and feeder cattle has provided opportunities to sell earlier, rather than carrying stock into a tightening feed and water situation. 

Aligning stocking decisions with seasonal signals can help:

• maintain ground cover
• manage feed availability
• avoid more reactive or costly decisions later in the season.

Upper Hunter (Scone): there is a strong alignment between declining soil moisture and a gradual increase in yardings. This suggests producers are making proactive, planned decisions - a positive example of managing both business and landscape risk. 

Scone recently recorded its largest yarding on record, with more than 4,000 head, reflecting on-ground responses to increasing pressure. 

Lower Hunter (Maitland): data reflects a reactionary December spike in stock sales off the back of an unseasonally dramatic decline in soil moisture for this district in early spring. 

Understanding these patterns can help producers reflect on their own decision-making and consider whether earlier planning could improve outcomes in tightening seasonal conditions. 

• Farming forecaster - provides practical, predictive information on weather, soil moisture and pasture production to support informed grazing and feed management decisions.

Favourable conditions for pest control

As feed and water become limited, feral pigs are concentrating around remaining resources. This increases the risk of damage to crops, pastures and infrastructure, and puts additional pressure on livestock production systems. 

These seasonal conditions also create a critical window for control programs, where well-planned and coordinated action can deliver stronger results.

To stay ahead of population growth, landholders are encouraged to take a strategic approach that combines multiple control methods and aligns with seasonal conditions and farm operations. 

Contact your local Biosecurity officer, or learn more about pest animal control. 

Plant biosecurity update

Pasture dieback is increasingly being identified in the Hunter region. 

This condition causes the premature death of high yielding tropical and sub-tropical grasses. Pasture dieback causes the grasses to die, allowing broadleaf weeds to colonise and making the areas unproductive.

Animal health conditions to watch out for

Paspalum staggers

Hunter and Mid Coast Cattle producers are advised to monitor stock following a recent case of paspalum staggers. 

Paspalum staggers is seen in cattle, and sometimes sheep and horses grazing paspalum grass seed heads infested with the fungal ergot Claviceps paspali. 

Outbreaks usually occur in autumn when warm wet weather promotes the ergot’s growth. The ergots are initially sticky and yellow-grey in colour but become hard and black (or orange) as they mature. 

The affected animals have muscle tremors, head shaking, incoordination and animals can fall over when overstimulated or stressed. Deaths are uncommon and cattle generally recover when removed from the infected pasture. It is important to place affected animals in safe paddocks for close observation to avoid injury by misadventure.

There is no effective treatment and prevention is based on effective pasture management – frequent grazing or topping of paspalum pasture will reduce the development of fungus-infected seedheads.  

Kikuyu poisoning

Recent rainfall across the lower Hunter and Great Lakes districts has created favourable conditions for an outbreak of kikuyu poisoning in cattle. Producers are being urged to monitor stock closely and manage grazing carefully during this high-risk period. 

Kikuyu poisoning can occur when kikuyu pasture grows rapidly in late summer and autumn following a prolonged dry spell. What causes young, rapidly growing, previously stressed kikuyu to temporarily become poisonous is still being researched, but the severe damage it causes to the stomachs of cattle is well documented.

Affected animals are unable to absorb fluid normally, leading to severe dehydration despite a rumen already full of fluid. Producers may notice cattle drooling, standing at troughs or dams and attempting to drink without success - often referred to as “sham drinking”. In some cases, cattle may show gut pain, staggering gait or an audible abdominal sloshing sound before collapsing.

Importantly, affected kikuyu looks no different to safe pasture, making early management critical. Cattle may avoid the pasture if alternative feed is available, but deaths can occur when no other feed source exists. The risk generally declines after three to four weeks, or once cattle are removed from affected pasture and offered alternative feed such as hay or silage.

Producers with high-risk paddocks containing mostly kikuyu are strongly advised to move cattle to safer pasture or supply alternative feed. However, hay or silage should be introduced gradually, as sudden access for unaccustomed cattle can lead to nitrate poisoning or enterotoxaemia.

Silage and pasture hay are safer choices than oaten, sorghum, millet or liverseed hay if the cattle are not already accustomed to high nitrate levels in their feed. It would be a shame to kill them with nitrate poisoning when trying to protect them against kikuyu poisoning.

Local Land Services District Veterinarians are continuing to collect samples to support research. Please report any suspect kikuyu poisoning deaths to your local LLS office.