Hot, dry conditions can put plenty of pressure on your farm. Pasture growth is challenged, water becomes even more important, and decisions around stocking rates and supplementary feeding can start to change quickly.
While you can’t control the weather, you can make sure you have the information you need to make good decisions when conditions get tough.
Here are a few ways Mobble can help you stay on top of things this summer.
One of the most useful things you can do when preparing for a difficult season is look back at how your farm performed during previous hot or dry periods.
Mobble’s Reports page lets you look at historical livestock numbers using the date selector. You can see changes in your stock numbers over time through the graph or Livestock Records report.
Think back to the last particularly hot summer at your place. How much stock were you carrying? How did your paddocks hold up? Did you end up feeding earlier than expected or reducing numbers?
Looking at your historical records can help put those decisions into context and give you a better starting point for planning this season.
When pasture availability starts to decline, supplementary feeding can become a bigger part of the day-to-day running of the farm.
Mobble gives you a couple of ways to keep your feeding records organised.
Use Mob Actions to record activities such as feeding, fertilising or other paddock work, keeping a clear record of what has happened where and when.
You can also use Live Inventory to keep track of the feed you have on hand. This can be particularly useful when you're monitoring what you've got available and planning for the weeks ahead.
Keeping these records in one place means you can see what has been happening on the farm, rather than relying on memory when things get busy.
Water becomes a critical focus during hot weather, and having visibility of your water infrastructure and how it is performing in real time can make it a huge difference to keeping track of what's happening across the farm.
If you're using Farmbot or Farmo for water monitoring (rain gauges, troughs, tanks), Mobble integrates directly with these platforms, bringing your water data directly onto your Mobble Map. This reduces the need to flick between platforms, and allows simple ‘at a glance’ understanding of what’s happening on your farm.
Hot, dusty conditions don't just stress your pastures; they put direct pressure on your livestock. Whether it's monitoring for heat stress or keeping an eye out for issues like pinkeye in dusty conditions, quick communication across your team is key.
Mobble allows you to quickly log health records, upload a photo for reference on a mob or drop a task on the map if someone spots a mob looking stressed. This ensures everyone on the farm is aware of any developing health issues and can act fast.
Hot weather doesn't necessarily mean making drastic decisions. It means having the right information available when you need to make them.
Whether you're checking historical stocking rates, recording supplementary feeding, keeping track of paddock activities or monitoring water infrastructure, solid record keeping can help you understand what's happening across your farm.
And when the season eventually turns, you'll have a record of what worked, what didn't and what you might do differently next time.
Because the better your farm records, the better informed your decisions can be.
Log in to Mobble to review your historical stock numbers today, or if you're new here, start your free 21-day trial to see how solid record-keeping can take the pressure off this summer.