Drought finally breaks at Kanandah station

Keeping a close eye on a tropical low, which made its way through the Top End last month, Mr Forrester believed the chances of rain reaching his property were slim.

Fortunately, the Nullarbor pastoralist, who had endured a long dry spell, was wrong.

"I was working in a donga - there was talk about the low petering out and skirting off to the north west corner of South Australia," he said.

"I looked to the north, saw a bit of cloud and decided to start moving gear out, not long after it began to rain."

And it did not stop, with more than 100 millimetres drenching Kanandah homestead and the northern end of the Trans-Australian railway line in just 36 hours.

The downpour, which started on January 25, was a welcome surprise for the Forresters and the biggest rainfall at Kanandah since 2018.

"From October 2018 until March 2020 we only recorded 38mm and I think we've cracked 100mm in one season since then," Mr Forrester said.

"Averages of 70-80mm kept us going, which is remarkable testament to the strength of the Nullarbor country.

"It had been exceptionally dry, but every dry time ends with a big rain.

"I think this is the start of it and I am confident there is more to come."

The Forresters' Balgair station, further east between Kanandah and Eucla, was also soaked by the centre of the low-pressure system.

While Mr Forrester was not sure of exact numbers at Balgair, he had absolutely no doubt similar levels would have fallen, if not more.

"Pretty much all of the donga in that area west of Kybo station and along the railway line are full," he said.

"It is an amazing sight when you see it from the air - it is uplifting when you've had such a dry time."

Within two weeks, the area around Kanandah homestead, which was at its worst, sprung to life with green grass shoots and herbages.

Meanwhile six dams, five north and one south of the railway line, are full and have provided the station with 12-month water security.

"We rely on dams on the outlying country to the north west, west and far south, but fortunately have an extensive bore field that waters half of the property through an extensive reticulation system," Mr Forrester said.

"While the southern dam country remains unwatered because of the dry, we feel very lucky those six dams have been filled.

"The system could have been 50km east of the railway line and we wouldn't have recorded a skerrick on Kanandah."

At Balgair station, which is all bore country, Mr Forrester said water had not been an issue.

"We have access to any amount of water out there and it is beautiful," he said.

"However, being true to Nullarbor country (a treeless plain), as opposed to the scrubbier Kanandah station, once you lose ground cover there is almost nothing and as a result, Balgair station had done it particularly tough."

The dry conditions forced Mr Forrester to progressively sell cattle from both stations, with a 60 per cent reduction in the herd.

He said cattle were sold into the 2019 market, when prices were high and the drought started to hit.

Others were sent on agistment to properties in Toodyay, Wannamal, Darkan, and Esperance in 2020.

The drop in numbers means 2800-head Murray Grey-Brahman cows with their calves are being run at Kanandah, compared to normal figures of 4000-4500 breeders.

About 1200-head are at Balgair and numbers are expected to rise to 3000-head as the country's condition improves.

Kanandah and Balgair stations are certified organic country, as such all of the cattle are certified and form the basis of "our Bardi Certified Organic Beef" business.

Mr Forrester said the business operated in conjunction with his family and a committed team on both stations and the finishing property, whose support and dedication through the "very long dry" had been critical.

"It was bittersweet - we were getting rid of a lot of cattle prematurely that unfortunately weren't in the best condition," he said.

"A positive during that period was that prices were strong and average values stayed reasonably high.

"A downside was we could have capitalised on those higher prices more if we had a few decent seasons."

In a normal season, Balgair is run as a dry block where cattle are finished and bullocks turned regularly at 500-550kg.

However in the dry conditions they struggled to reach 400kg - this meant their average weight was right down.

Mr Forrester said this had damaged Kanandah and Balgair stations' regular organic supply arrangements, which flowed onto other partners in the supply chain.

"It did cushion the blow a bit, as the value was still pretty good because of that major increase in prices," he said.

"When Balgair receives a decent amount of rainfall, including average or better than average, it is an exceptional finishing block with tremendous production."

The recent rainfall has renewed hope for Mr Forrester who will look at lifting numbers across both stations.

He said agisted cattle would return to the northern end of Kanandah in a few weeks and, depending on whether the market lifts, farm weaners may be sent to Balgair in the next couple of months.

"They will go nuts with the feed there," Mr Forrester said.

"Cattle usually eat a mixture of grasses, but I can't say they have had too much of that over the past three to five years.

"There is a myriad of different grasses and herbages that will come up after a season like this and when it gets dry cattle revert back to shrubs and the bushes more."

Mr Forrester said Kanandah offered strength during the tougher times, with plenty of top feed to keep cattle ticking away.

He said cattle performed quite well, provided they weren't run too heavily.

"You can't expect too much out of country when it is like that, but when it's good it is spectacular," Mr Forrester said.

"The bulls and odd cull cow that I've come across since the rainfall, have taken no time in acclimatising to grass or herbages, which are high in protein.

"Younger cattle at Balgair would have never seen grass in their life so they would be very happy.

"It is the magic of this arid country, the drought sets you up for a wonderful feeling when it rains."