A farmer should always make provision for difficult times. Droughts are a common occurrence in South Africa, especially in the western parts, famous for sheep farming. Ensure there are camps rested for emergency times. Extra roughage should always be stocked up on the farm. Save some money throughout to be used when such an emergency occurs.
Farmers should farm with breeds adapted to the environment, and not try and farm with a breed only because he or she is attracted to it. Never overgraze your veld. Veld takes quite a long time to recover after being trampled or overgrazed.
Drought Management Plan
A. Phase 1: Preparation Phase
This is a time when there is no drought on the farm and the only time to plan and get buffers in place before the next drought. Ensure that your veld is in good condition, farm with drought-resistant breeds, start building up a feed bank and make sure that you are financially stable. The better planning before a drought, the smaller the impact of the drought will be.
B. Phase 2: Drought Phase
This is to time to start with a defensive management system. All the planning and preparation done before must now be implemented. Start with drought feeding and reducing the livestock numbers.
C. Phase 3: Recovery Phase
The drought is over, and it starts to rain. This is the time to recover from the drought, before preparing for the next drought phase. It is a time for veld and financial recovery and rebuilding your herd.
Drought management plan. (Source: Dr Louis du Pisani, Smart Drought Management for Livestock Farmers)
D. Feed Bank
This term refers to the amount of feed stored on the farm in case of emergencies. The feed may be stored in sheds, under sails, and even in old buildings that are not used for something else on the farm. The larger your feed bank the longer you can survive and produce on your farm. When feed sources are being harvested or prices are good you should buy it and store it where environmental factors will not affect the quality thereof. When using feed from the feed bank you should always use older stock before using new, fresh stock.
Devastating effects of a drought.