Two thousand of Troy Setter’s dark-haired cattle have been trekking along centuries-old paths through isolated Australian farmland, chomping on grass and roadside vegetation to fatten up before slaughter. The migration recalls a bygone era, but this is no nostalgic trip. The most severe El Niño in nearly two decades has parched pastures in eastern Australia, leaving cattle short of feed. The company Mr. Setter runs as chief executive, Consolidated Pastoral Company, has embraced an age-old ranching tradition to overcome some of the business disruptions El Niño is causing. Other farmers are benefiting from past preparations for dry spells or simple luck, but broadly crop yields are down, including rice, the region’s staple food. Since May, El Niño has brought high temperatures and lower-than-normal rainfall to eastern Australia, Southeast Asia and India. The drier conditions make it more costly and time-consuming to produce many agricultural products, a factor that […]