Drought Adoption Officers

Local Land Services has engaged Drought Adoption Officers across the state to assist landholders with drought planning and preparedness extension services.

Last updated: 03 February 2026

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Project overview

Status: In progress

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 will run through to December 2026.

Work underway

Drought Adoption Officers are already 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

September 2025

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.

July 2025

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.

A close up of red earth with dry sticks and leaves

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.

Be part of these 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.

Watch the webinars

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.