Armidale farmer Andrew Coughlan is preparing his sheep and cows for the deluge of rains forecast for Spring, knowing there will be a lot of parasites to deal with.
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"Most people would rather see it this way than being dry because you can make money out of mud but you can't out of dust," Mr Coughlan said.
"I'm careful about complaining about La Nina because it can fast turn around and be the other problem.
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"Having gone through that drought which was absolutely horrific."
A third La Nina in a row is predicted for Australia, with BOM Senior Meteorologist Dean Narramore saying the New England region is likely to receive about 100 to 150mm of rain.
The extra moisture from warmer waters along the NSW, WA and Northern coasts of Australia are being dragged inland and causing severe weather such as flash flooding and storms, Mr Narramore said referring to the Indian Ocean Dipole and La Nina.
This also means there is about a 65 per cent chance that rainfall will actually exceed the Spring average during the three months to December.
The days will also be cooler and cloudier, leading to hot and humid nights which is great for lambing and preventing any late frosts from burning off fresh pastures.
![Sheep on Andrew Coughlan's farm cross a bridge that could flood during the La Nina. Picture by Andrew Coughlan Sheep on Andrew Coughlan's farm cross a bridge that could flood during the La Nina. Picture by Andrew Coughlan](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/JV4n4a6iwKJ9DNUAb9ehsn/9f68fe4e-cb80-4159-bfda-907050e7e9f1.jpg/r11_0_1668_929_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Mr Coughlan said his main concern would be dealing with livestock parasites, sore hooves on cows and sheep due to the constant wet, and losing a couple of fences in the floods.
"There will usually be minimal impact on my livestock because they're smart enough to move to higher ground," Mr Coughlan said of the 3200 ha farm he owns in a hilly area east of Armidale.
But dairy, beef and horticulture crops on river flats in highly productive country would be devastated if they were deluged with rain because of the layer of silt that floods leave behind, he said.
"They end up having to replant at huge costs.
"We'll lose a bit of fencing and flood fences across waterways but the whole property doesn't go underwater like it can out west or down the coast."
Ensuring livestock have enough roughage with greener feed is important. Mr Coughlan has also advised removing animals from potential danger so they aren't paddocked near rivers that are likely to flood.
"It's really all about managing the timing of operations like shearing, crouching, marking animals, and yarding," he said.
"And try not to yard when it's really wet, because then you're taking them through muddy yards and potentially spreading foot and respiratory issues."
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