The Fleurieu Peninsula’s cooler climate, reliable rainfall, underground water supply and proximity to milk processing plants make it an ideal region for dairy farming.

Those reasons are exactly why Warren Jacobs has milked cows at Mount Compass for decades and recently invested heavily in the latest technology – including an eight-stall robotic dairy – which he hopes will see his family remain there for decades to come.

However, it is not without its challenges, as Warren well knows.

He has observed changes in the climate during his time dairy farming, particularly a trend towards more hot days, extreme storms and more summer rainfall.

“When it comes to climate change, I believe it’s not only about how the weather changes but also about how you adapt your farming methods to it,” Warren said.

To adapt to some of the changes in the climate Warren has observed, he has started planting more dryland lucerne on sandy areas of his property.

Lucerne’s deep root systems mean it can access moisture further down in the soil profile. The increasing summer rainfall Warren has observed is ideal for lucerne as it grows well through spring, summer and autumn, helping to fill the summer feed gap for the dairy herd.

“Having access to irrigation is critical for us as it gives us more stability in our feed sources during periods of extended dry conditions, which often results in higher prices for bought-in fodder,” Warren said.

While adapting to a changing climate is one thing, being prepared for the potential impacts of a changing climate is another.

Data from the Department of Environment and Water’s SA Climate Projections Viewer indicates that the average daily temperature has increased over the last century and will continue to do so, bringing with it less annual rainfall and conditions conducive to bushfire.

Warren has recently taken part in a joint project between the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) and Primary Producers SA (PPSA) titled Preparing primary industries for the impacts of compounding and complex disasters.

This is a pilot project focusing on the South Australian wine grape, dairy and forest product industries at a regional level, with the Fleurieu Peninsula being the focus for dairy.

A key aim of the project was to deliver an increased understanding of industry vulnerabilities and a commitment to shared responsibility between government and industry to address gaps.

PPSA and PIRSA co-designed and delivered an industry-led approach in conjunction with the South Australian Dairyfarmers’ Association to explore the risks of compounding and complex disasters on people, production, profitability and supply chains.

The project recognises that primary producers are on the frontline of climate change, facing an increasing number of natural disasters every year which are also becoming more severe.

A group of Fleurieu dairy farmers – including Warren – and other industry representatives explored the following scenario to assess the industry’s preparedness for bushfire.

You’re standing on your farm on 12 January 2027. South Australia is into its eighth day of a forecasted 11-day heatwave where the temperature has been over 45 degrees Celsius. There’s a strong north-westerly wind blowing, the Country Fire Service (CFS) has declared this as the third catastrophic fire danger day in a row and SA Power Networks has flagged that power is likely to be cut at any time. The milking herd is showing visible signs of distress and many have gone off their feed. You can now see smoke on the horizon and the smell of fire is in the air. There’s a strong possibility a major fire is over the hill.

The end result is an industry report which uses the above scenario to detail key vulnerabilities of the dairy industry on the Fleurieu, the priority areas of impact, the high priority controls and industry-led actions that can be implemented to help reduce the risk and impact of such a compounding and complex disaster.

Being part of the project caused Warren to reflect on his current on-farm preparedness measures and what he could improve to be better prepared.

“Irrigation is an important fire risk mitigation tool for us as it can be used as a fire break or as a safe haven for cows if there is a fire nearby,” he said.

“We also currently use irrigation to help us manage heat stress in the herd. During a heatwave we will put the sprinklers on for the cows or put them in a paddock downwind from the sprinklers.

“We’ve also got sprinklers in the dairy yard to keep the herd cool when they are waiting to be milked. A series of hot days in a row is a huge risk to cows, but we find that if we can cool them off at least once a day then they can still maintain their milk production.

“The dairy is on mains power but we have a backup generator which automatically kicks in if the power goes out so we are still able to milk the cows. Cows need access to drinking water and we have a gravity-fed tank that can still supply some water in the event of an outage.

“In terms of our preparedness to fight a fire, we have farm firefighting units which we will put on utes and fill up on days of extreme conditions and we have other equipment such as the calf milk trailer that we can mobilise as a back-up in the event of a fire.”

One particular area where Warren would like to improve is staff preparation.

“We employ eight people across two farms,” he said.

“At the moment, our emergency management plan is more a verbal understanding between employees, but we need to properly document and record the plan to ensure all our employees are on the same page.

“There are some other infrastructure improvements we could make too, such as backup power for the irrigation system. We could also spread our fodder stocks out a bit more so we don’t have most of it in the one area.”

Through Warren’s involvement in the project, he has also identified a number of off-farm measures he would like to see government, industry and other stakeholders implement.

“I would like to see telecommunications companies install better backup power on mobile towers because we have had storms where the power has gone out for a few days and we lost mobile communication, which would be a major concern in a bushfire,” he said.

“I think it is also important that industry and government communicate the plans already in place, such as Bushfire Management Plans and the role of Emergency Management Committees.

“We now know about them through our involvement in the project, but there is an opportunity to extend those plans to the wider community on the Fleurieu so everyone knows there is a coordinated approach in the event of an emergency.”

This project was funded under the Disaster Risk Reduction Grants Program, funded by the Australian Government and the South Australian Government.

Preparedness for natural disasters is just part of life in the Adelaide Hills.

The undulating terrain, dense tree canopy and vast grasslands make the region particularly vulnerable to bushfire, while increasing population growth in the area heightens the importance of everyone being prepared.

The Cudlee Creek bushfire that burned during the 2019-20 bushfire danger season following a dry winter was one of the worst in living memory, razing more than 23,250 hectares, killing one person and severely impacting the region’s primary producers.

The wine industry in particular was among the hardest hit. Barristers Block at Woodside, operated by the Allen family, lost almost 100 per cent of its vineyards.

You can never be completely prepared for a disaster like Cudlee Creek, according to Lachlan Allen.

“If you think you are, something will go wrong,” he said.

While the devastation was hard to come to terms with, it also presented a unique opportunity for the Allens.

Since purchasing Barristers Block in 2006, Lachlan said he had noticed a gradual increase in soil temperature.

The fire meant they were able to plant a new varietal on some of the land – Fiano – which is better adapted to warmer climates.

It also taught them some lessons in preparedness.

“Some things are just a given. On days of forecast extreme or catastrophic fire danger we make sure all our tanks are full, firefighting units are full and everything is generally good to go,” Lachlan said.

“We are normally dealing with seven-day forecasts which gives us some time to prepare and take other steps like slashing grass to get on the front foot, but we know we have to be constantly thinking during the fire danger period.”

Since Cudlee Creek, the Allens have installed two large water tanks at the top of their block which are connected to sprinklers across the vineyard headlands. Water is fed to the sprinklers – which were installed purely for fire protection – through a petrol-powered pump.

“Another issue that arose from Cudlee Creek was firefighters having trouble accessing properties, so we have put in gates across our property for ease of access,” Lachlan said.

“With the exception of the headland sprinklers, the rest of the vineyard and irrigation system is on mains power. In the event of a catastrophic fire, SA Power Networks would be likely cut it, meaning we wouldn’t have water.

“To mitigate that risk, we could invest in a large generator but that is cost prohibitive. That’s a big barrier to a lot of risk control measures – if we had the money then we’d put permanent sprinklers everywhere.”

Lachlan – who is a Wine Grape Council of SA (WGCSA) board member and secretary of the Adelaide Hills Wine Region Inc – has used his experience from the Cudlee Creek fire to contribute to a joint project between the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) and Primary Producers SA (PPSA) titled Preparing primary industries for the impacts of compounding and complex disasters.

This is a pilot project focusing on the South Australian wine grape, dairy and forest product industries at a regional level, with the Adelaide Hills being the focus for wine grapes.

A key aim of the project was to deliver an increased understanding of industry vulnerabilities and a commitment to shared responsibility between government and industry to address gaps and actions to mitigate risk.

PPSA and PIRSA co-designed and delivered an industry-led approach in conjunction with WGCSA to explore the risks of compounding and complex disasters on people, production, profitability and supply chains.

The project recognises that primary producers are on the frontline of climate change, facing an increasing number of natural disasters every year which are also becoming more severe. These natural disasters are often coming in quick succession before the chance to fully recover from the first one.

Through the project, wine grape growers and stakeholders from the Adelaide Hills explored the scenario of a prolonged heatwave coupled with catastrophic fire conditions, stressed grape vines, low water availability for irrigation and the high likelihood of power being cut off.

The end result is an industry report which uses the above scenario to detail key vulnerabilities of the wine grape industry in the Adelaide Hills, the priority areas of impact, the high priority controls and industry-led actions that can be implemented to help reduce the risk and impact of such a compounding and complex disaster.

Lachlan said it was an important project to be part of, with plenty of learnings for him from the process.

“At the end of the day, we put steps in place as landholders in the Adelaide Hills to mitigate risks on our property, but each individual landholder will have a different view on risk,” he said.

“The good thing about the Hills is people are always open to listening and education. We are realistic here – bushfire risk needs to be managed.

“Landholders shouldn’t be reliant on programs such as this one. Preparedness should be part and parcel of what they are doing in their own environment.

“I think the learnings from this project can only benefit the region. We need to keep talking and finding solutions to benefit everyone.”

This project was funded under the Disaster Risk Reduction Grants Program, funded by the Australian Government and the South Australian Government.