Project overview
The Drought Adoption Officer program is funded by the Australian Government's Future Drought Fund through the Southern NSW Innovation Hub.
The program is running until December 2026, and supports landholders in the uptake of Future Drought Fund tools and drought resilience innovations at a localised, on-farm, community level.
The program previously received funding from the Southern Queensland Northern NSW Hub until December 2025.
Project objectives
- Increase adoption: encouraging the uptake of drought-resilient land management practices across New South Wales.
- Strengthen collaboration: building networks between farmers and land managers to promote drought preparedness and resilience.
- Provide support and guidance: offering tailored advice and workshops to ensure landholders are prepared for drought conditions.
Project delivery
The Drought Adoption Officers will be on the ground in regional areas, providing the following services:
- One-on-one advice: offering personalised guidance on drought resilience and preparedness.
- Field days and local events: engaging with landholders at events to raise awareness about drought issues and share solutions.
- Workshops: providing workshops on drought preparedness, covering topics like confinement feeding, decision-making tools, and farm planning.
- State-wide drought preparedness activities: hosting webinars and workshops to help landholders across New South Wales build resilience.
Project timeline
The Drought Adoption Officer program commenced in 2023 and will run through to December 2026.
Mid 2023 – Program commenced
Local Land Services engaged Drought Adoption Officers across NSW to support landholders with drought planning and preparedness through local, on-farm extension.
Late 2023 – Initial delivery established
Drought Adoption Officers began working directly with landholders, delivering one-on-one advice, on-farm visits, workshops and attendance at local events. Early delivery focused on understanding regional needs and connecting landholders with practical drought preparedness tools.
2024 – Statewide delivery underway
The program moved into full statewide delivery, supporting the adoption of drought resilient practices through tailored advice, farm visits, field days, workshops and webinars, while strengthening local networks and collaboration.
2025 – Continued and extended delivery
Following strong uptake, the program was extended to continue through to December 2025. Drought Adoption Officers continued with on-farm support and targeted drought preparedness activities, as well as statewide and regional extension events aligned to seasonal conditions.
2026 – New funding extension for delivery
Staff support was extended across NSW, with outcomes and lessons supporting ongoing drought preparedness work delivered by Local Land Services.
Work underway
Drought Adoption Officers are working with landholders across the state to implement drought preparedness strategies, attend local events, and provide expert advice on drought resilience.
Key on-ground activities include:
- ongoing one-on-one support for landholders
- workshops and webinars across the state
- development of local networks
- capacity-building events.
Project updates
On-farm confinement feeding delivers results in tough seasons
Landholders across NSW are preparing for dry conditions with help from the Drought Adoption Officer Program. One farm in the Riverina shows how smart planning can make a big difference during dry times.
In early 2025, the mixed livestock farm set up a dedicated confinement feeding area with support from Local Land Services and Soils For Life. This area helped the landholders feed lambs off the paddock, which protected the grass and soil during tough weather.
When the autumn rain didn’t arrive, the landholders expanded the feeding area to fit more livestock. This helped keep pastures healthy and made feeding easier during a stressful time.
Now, after recent rain, the farm is using the feeding area to let paddocks recover while lambs stay in confinement. The landholders are also planting pasture species like biserrula and serradella to help the land stay strong during future dry spells.
This story shows how landholders are using expert advice and tools to protect their land, care for their livestock and prepare for droughts.
From January to June 2025, Local Land Services helped landholders across NSW get ready for future droughts through the Drought Adoption Officer Program.
Drought Adoption Officers based in the Central Tablelands, Northern Tablelands, Hunter, Murray and Riverina worked directly with landholders. They gave advice and support to help landholders plan ahead, protect their land and livestock, and keep their businesses running. Some areas experienced favourable conditions, while others faced dry spells and changing weather conditions.
The program included one-on-one consultations, farm visits and community events. These activities helped landholders feel more confident and better prepared to manage drought risks.
Key results from January 2024 – June 2025:
- 1,004 one-on-one technical consultations and 209 on-farm visits, offering tailored drought resilience advice.
- 266 awareness and capacity building events, engaging 7,292 participants across the state.
- Workshops and webinars covering topics such as confinement feeding, decision-making tools and farm planning.
- Development of local networks and delivery of state-wide drought preparedness activities.
These activities are helping landholders use drought planning tools and practices within their local areas. This support encourages better land care and helps farms stay strong during future dry periods.
Project outcomes
The Drought Adoption Officer Program has improved landholder capability and confidence to manage dry conditions through practical, locally delivered support.
Landholders have:
- increased their use of decision-support tools for feed and drought planning
- adopted or improved practices such as confinement feeding, feed testing and fodder management
- strengthened water, soil and pasture decision-making
- strengthened local networks and partnerships, improving access to consistent, localised drought preparedness advice and support.
Landholders across NSW have highlighted the value of having trusted, local support to help them make decisions during dry conditions.
"Having someone walk through our feed options and numbers on-farm gave us confidence to make decisions earlier, rather than waiting until things became critical.”
“The practical advice around confinement feeding and feed budgeting helped us protect our paddocks and manage stock welfare through a tough season.”
Lessons from the Land webinar series
When times get tough, there’s no shortage of technical advice – but what’s often missing are the real, practical insights from producers who’ve lived it.
Listen to candid conversations with sheep and cattle producers and cropping farmers with firsthand experience managing their enterprise through dry times.
Sessions covered the decisions they wrestled with, mistakes made, the strategies that worked (or didn’t), and the personal toll of farming through drought conditions.
How to get involved
Landholders can get support by:
- contacting their local Drought Adoption Officer for personalised advice and information on drought resilience practices
- attending local workshops and webinars to learn about tools and strategies for managing drought
- engaging with the project by participating in local drought preparedness events and sharing knowledge with other landholders.
Contact your local Drought Adoption Officer
- Central Tablelands – Brett Littler | M: 0427 007 398 | E: brett.littler@lls.nsw.gov.au
- Central West – Bridie Mulligan | M: 0448 631 707 | E: bridie.mulligan@lls.nsw.gov.au
- Hunter – Kate Pearce | M: 0429 900 329 | E: kate.pearce@lls.nsw.gov.au
- Murray – Martin Preuss | M: 0455 729 318 | E: martin.preuss@lls.nsw.gov.au
- Northern Tablelands – Ella Barney | M: 0447 185 133 | E: ella.barney@lls.nsw.gov.au
- Riverina – Geoff Minchin | M: 0429 842 489 | E: geoffrey.minchin@lls.nsw.gov.au
- South East – Matt Lieschke | M: 0428 271 127 | E: matthew.lieschke@lls.nsw.gov.au
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Funding and partnerships
The Drought Adoption Officer program has received $3.2 million in funding by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund through the Southern NSW Innovation Hub and previously received funding from the Southern Queensland Northern NSW Innovation Hub. Local Land Services is delivery the program until December 2026.
Contact Local Land Services NSW
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