Invercargill farm consultant Deane Carson said farmers affected by last month's storm need to plan, and as part of that they should be innovative, and that included sheep and beef farmers assisting their dairy farming neighbours.
If farmers did not plan, Mr Carson said they ran the risk of depleting pasture quality which could affect their ability to optimise the income off their remaining animals.
"There are good opportunities for sheep and dairy farmers to work closely together," he said in an interview.
Southern dairy farms were, in general, tight for feed at present, while many paddocks were damaged from the wet weather which will impact on future pasture growth and quality.
Mr Carson said while sheep farmers may not have much grass to spare at present, they would soon, creating opportunities, but also allowing pasture quality to be managed.
One option was for sheep farmers to open the boundary fence and sell grass to neighbouring dairy farmers.
Attention is turning to how farmers who have lost large numbers of sheep can make the most out of the stock they have left, with many speculating that a shortage of lambs could send store and prime prices soaring and conversely depress the price of grass supplement and dairy grazing.
Equally, the financial impact of the storm is not likely to hit until the New Year when the lamb cheque is much lower than expected.
Mr Carson said farmers need to realise their extra feed had value, especially towards the end of next month when many sheep farmers would have a surplus and dairy farmers could still be short.
"The reality is that it is likely sheep farmers will have a surplus in late spring-early summer and dairy farmers will need it."
He also suggested shutting paddocks for supplement up early so pasture quality can be managed.
Some will be able to sell the silage and baleage to dairy farmers, but he has heard of sheep and beef farmers deciding to restock their own depleted supplementary feed stocks.
Mr Carson said discussions with sheep and beef farmers revealed they were looking at options from running beef, dairy grazing, growing extra brassica for winter and to accelerate pasture renewal.
"My key message is to sit down and plan, to think about it and what are the opportunities."
Mr Carson said most sheep farmers had reasonable pasture cover, stock condition was good and lambs were active, which would carry them through the next few weeks.
Those with high stocking rates and a high number of ewes with multiple lambs, were finding it tougher as pasture cover was depleted.
He said those farmers were shedding out wet-dry ewes and destocking where they could.
Meanwhile, Ravensdown chief scientific officer Ants Roberts said early application of nitrogen even before conditions were optimal, was appropriate as farmers try to rebuild the feed bank decimated by the storm. He recommended applying nitrogen at 30kg to 50kg a ha on dairy farms and 20kg to 30kg a ha on sheep and beef farms.
There was also a risk that lower pasture cover can lead to lower residual which in turn would depress future pasture growth, but using nitrogen can avoid that "downward spiral."
Where rainfall has been high and soil damage significant, Dr Roberts said ammonium sulphate products were useful to ensure sulphur availability did not limit nitrogen response.
Dr Roberts said soil temperatures should increase quickly once anticyclonic weather starts reaching the country.