Developing Practices for Sheep Production in a Variable Climate

Maintaining profits through varying and difficult seasons is a must for sheep producers. Extremes of weather (floods, droughts, heat and cold) and simply differing seasons test the skill of producers to maintain production, animal welfare and profits while protecting our land, pasture and environment.

The challenge

The predicted changes to the Australian climate through most regions of sheep production are for drier periods, increased severity of drought, and an increase in number of days above 35oC. Such changes impact sheep production through altering pasture availability, and through direct impacts of heat on sheep.

“Developing Practices for Profitable, Sustainable Sheep Production in a Variable Climate” is funded by the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program through the National Heritage Trust. The aim is to develop novel practices for sheep producers to improve resilience to climate change.

The Natural Heritage Trust (NHT https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/land/natural-heritage-trust) aims to protect, conserve, and provide for the productive use of Australia’s water, soil, plants and animals and the ecosystems in which they live and interact, in partnership with industry, communities and other governments.  The purpose of Partnerships and Innovation grants is to foster sustainable agricultural and natural resource management innovation.

Projects will contribute to the Partnerships and Innovation outcomes by 2028 to increase the number and area of Australia’s agriculture sector entities and land managers that have:

  1. trialed, developed and/or implemented innovative technologies, tools or practices to improve the uptake and use of sustainable agricultural practices leading to the protection and enhancement of our soil, water and vegetation resources.
  2. adopted practices which have or will build resilience to the impacts of climate change, increase carbon sequestration, and/or reduce emissions on farming systems.

The project will support the operationalisation and uptake of industry sustainability frameworks and credentials, and will have increased the number of sustainable agricultural practices that meet evolving market access requirements.

The project will also will also support the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) Outcome 1: More sustainable, productive, internationally competitive and profitable Australian agricultural, food and fibre industries through policies and initiatives that promote better resource management practices, innovation, self-reliance and improved access to international markets.

Our response

The project provides insight into:

  1. Sheep producer adoption of the climate change resilient agricultural practices of confinement feeding, use of feed supplements and other sheep management practices;
  2. Sheep producer response to extension and communications activities; and
  3. Industry stakeholders’ perceptions of climate change and sheep producer risk management and the key components of the social context which link to this.

Sheep Confinement during Drought Podcast Episodes

What is sheep confinement, and why should I do it?
We answer questions raised in 2025 workshops from MerinoLink for the Climate Smart Agriculture Program, National Heritage Trust.  
Hosted by Dr Christine Storer with livestock expert Dr Susan Roberston and Sheep production adviser Jim Meckiff from JM Livestock

Podcast is available on  Soundcloud, Apple podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify

  1. Feeding Ewes in confinement
  2. Feeding roughage to ewes
  3. Feeding ewes grain
  4. Pen size for confinement
  5. Thinking about feed and water troughs
  6. Locating confinement pens
  7. Feed mixer or scales
  8. Shading confinement pens
  9. Shy feeders in confinement
  10. Target condition scores for ewes
  11. Minimising labour costs
  12. When confinement is not viable
  13. Managing lambing ewes in confinement
  14. Weaning lambs during drought
  15. Removing ewes from confinement
  16. Keeping sheep healthy in confinement
  17. Managing pregnant ewes grazing cereal crops

Resources

Releasing sheep from containment feeding PDF

The goal

The aim is to develop, trial and recommend on-farm practices for managing breeding ewes to reduce methane emissions, increase resilience to heat stress, improve production and financial outcomes for sheep producers across Australia and finally protect the soil resource.

Our team

Principal scientist

portrait of Dr Susan Robertson
Dr Susan Robertson
Livestock Production
  View full profile

Connect and collaborate

We are looking for researchers, students, funding and partners to help take our research to the next level.

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