Improved Seasonal Forecasts for Wool Producers in Western NSW 2007-10-08T06:41:55Z 2008-06-10T00:49:13Z The western pastoral zone of NSW covers the area bound by Walgett in the north, Balranald in the south, Broken Hill in the west and Nyngan in the east. Since 1879, five extended droughts have caught many graziers in the region unprepared, resulting in major stock losses and sometimes irreparable land degradation. But through Improved Seasonal Forecasts for Wool Producers in Western NSW, some 330 woolgrowers were introduced to seasonal climate forecasts in the hope that landholders will be armed with some degree of seasonal foresight. An important aspect of the project was to develop seasonal forecasts for pasture growth rather than just rainfall. Using the AussieGRASS computer model, pasture growth is calculated across the variety of soil types based on daily rainfall records and other information, providing graziers with a figure they can use in their stocking rate decisions. The model shows how the pasture growth outlook for the season ahead compares with previous years. The project had the joint objectives of making woolgrowers more profitable by giving them the confidence to carry more stock through good seasons, while averting the land degradation caused by overstocking through drought periods.