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The Northern Australia Climate Program (NACP) is improving the capacity of the red meat industry to manage drought and climate risk across northern Australia. NACP runs an extension and adoption service that enables producers to better understand the main climate and weather influences in their region, interpret forecast information from days to seasons ahead, and make better informed decisions on property, particularly in the management of pastures for production (Lavender et al. 2022). Undertaken by regionally located extension officers called Climate Mates, the NACP extension and adoption service includes one-on-one property visits, field day talks, newsletters, workshops, webinars and monthly mailouts. Climate Mates come into the role with existing community networks, and a sound knowledge of local industries. However, most have limited knowledge of weather and climate to begin with, and so with help from peers and researchers at the Bureau of Meteorology, Climate Mates quickly develop an understanding of concepts such as tropical convection, climate drivers, and seasonal variability.