{"id":257272,"date":"2020-04-27T15:24:23","date_gmt":"2020-04-27T05:24:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=257272"},"modified":"2020-04-27T15:29:59","modified_gmt":"2020-04-27T05:29:59","slug":"drought-forums-go-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2020\/04\/27\/drought-forums-go-online\/","title":{"rendered":"Drought Forums Go Online"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Agriculture Minister Mark Furner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

April 27, 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n

Information about feeding and caring for livestock during drought is now being delivered online by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.<\/p>\n

Agriculture Minister Mark Furner said the free public forums, targeting smaller landholders who have been grappling with drought, would be made available through a series of webinars hosted by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe drought planning and recovery free public forums were established in response to the difficulties the prolonged drought posed for the care and management of livestock,\u201d Mr Furner said.<\/p>\n

\u201cForums held earlier this year in Clifton, Kingaroy, Stanthorpe, Jimboomba and Karara were well attended however the COVID-19 pandemic has meant these forums could no longer be held as public events.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a result, the department has creatively repurposed the forums to make them available through webinars that can be accessed by visiting the Animals in drought portal<\/a><\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Furner said webinars would be held on May 6, 8 and 11.<\/p>\n

\u201cTopics covered will include managing climate variability and feeding livestock, land management and recovery from drought, nutritional requirements and drought feeding cattle, animal welfare and duty of care, and euthanasia,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen registering, people will be able to submit questions for the question and answer session that follows the webinar.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cOnline webinars are a terrific vehicle that allows valuable support to continue and I encourage anyone struggling with the effects of drought to register for the webinars.<\/p>\n

\u201cCurrently, more than 67 per cent of Queensland is drought declared and initiatives such as the drought planning and recovery forums have been a valuable resource for anyone looking after livestock.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe department\u2019s \u2018Animals in drought\u2019 portal is a vital resource when seeking information on how to care for, feed and manage animals when facing drought, and how to prepare for future droughts.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is also ensuring small landholders and producers have the essential tools and resources at their fingertips of the options they need to consider when they have to make critical decisions about the future of their animals and their pasture resources.\u201d<\/p>\n