Turning A Late Spring Into Opportunity
04 December 2025, AU: Elders livestock production specialist Nathan Saunders says a late, wet spring across Tasmania is less a setback and more an opportunity, with moisture enabling flexible forage options, strong nitrogen response, and positive herd performance heading into summer.
It’s the last working day of November and I’m sitting watching drizzle drift across the hills, the sort of slow, steady rain we’ve had for weeks. It lifts just long enough to get everyone’s hopes up that someone might squeeze in a run of silage.
The story is the same right across northern Tasmania, from Circular Head through to Scottsdale and anywhere north of Campbelltown. Colleagues across Gippsland and even parts of South Australia say they’re dealing with similar delays, although nowhere seems to have been lucky with quite the same consistent moisture we’ve had here in Tasmania.
We’re fast approaching summer, but it’s barely behaving like it. Soil temperatures are still slow to climb, sitting in the low double digits. You can feel that coolness sitting in the ground, which explains why early-sown crops have hesitated and why many others simply didn’t go in. Kale has been hit hardest, with paddocks too wet to touch for weeks. Maize growers waiting for 15+ degree soil temps have been stuck at 12 degrees well into late November. Some have pulled the pin entirely; not a bad call in a year like this.
But this is where the opportunity sits. Instead of dwelling on what didn’t go in, we can focus on what we can grow.
If moisture hangs around, there’s still a window for summer forages, which may end up carrying us deeper into autumn than expected. And as temperatures finally lift, we can look at oversowing, short-rotation ryegrass, brassica mixes, or even millet or sorghum, depending on the break and seed availability. A season like this rewards flexibility, not rigid planning.
Even with delays, there are clear upsides. Feed-on-offer costs are lower than usual, and urea efficiency has been excellent. Cool, moist soil means Nitrogen response is stronger; you’re simply getting more grass per dollar. Urea is one of the smartest returns on farm right now. I’ve been encouraging farmers to take advantage of this window if they need to build covers ahead of summer.
Farmers are also telling me that cows are still on an upward curve heading into late joining. Normally by now we’d be talking about holding condition, but the conversations this year are more positive. In many herds, cows haven’t peaked yet. A late spring may shift the curve, but it hasn’t taken performance with it.
We all know how fast things can turn. One good week of weather and paddocks go from “almost right” to “we should’ve cut that yesterday.” Tractors appear out of nowhere. Everyone’s on the move. That’s why I’m not interested in doom-and-gloom talk. We’ve seen springs like this before: annoying, unpredictable, but far from disastrous.
This is also the perfect time to take a proper look across the herd. It’s a smart time to tidy up a few underperforming cows, we’ve got a great chopper cow market, line up early pregnancy testing, and make sure cows entering the next cycle are in the right condition. Wet springs tend to hide condition loss, so body condition scoring now is far more useful than waiting for the first hot week in January.
Young stock benefit from a season like this too. R2 heifers get a longer window to hit pre-calving weights, and the slower shift in pasture growth creates a more forgiving environment for weaners transitioning onto grass. But you will probably need to feed quality grain for the minerals and protein rather than the feed itself. Watch for pink eye and fly issues, and be mindful of drench resistance. It may be worth testing for worms.
On the stored feed front, a wet spring almost always means more hay and silage on the market. Yes, quality will be variable, but that’s easily managed. A quick feed test turns an unknown feed risk into a planned feed asset. Once you know the energy and protein levels, you can decide what belongs in front of milkers, what goes to dry cows, and what gets stored for winter. Flexibility is what wins winters, not the sheer amount of feed you’ve got, but the ability to feed the right feed at the right time.
This is the season to build that flexibility. Talk to your Elders livestock advisor now. Map out autumn feed plan needs early, don’t wait until March when everyone is scrambling. Look at your rotation, look at your likely gaps, and match them with whatever surplus feed you can secure now. Cheap feed that you understand is always better than expensive feed you panic-buy later.
Across northern Tasmania and the southern regions are experiencing similar patterns. The message is the same: a late spring isn’t a setback unless we treat it like one. If we use the moisture, manage nitrogen smartly, tighten up herd efficiency, and plan autumn early, this season sets us up stronger rather than weaker.
Summer is coming, even if it’s taking its time. And honestly, I’d take this season, quirks and all, over a dry, failed spring any day.
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