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WESTE~1N A.USTR/\ LIA

INNOVATIVE FARMING IN THE NORTHERN AGRICULTURAL REGION

Agro-forrestry project at Bibby Springs, our Executive Officer, Gaye Chambers and granddaughter Billie

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

You Don' t Get Shot for Being Different in Australia Whole Fann Innovative LancfManagement No Till Sowing Enables Sustainable Crop Production Oil Mallee PrQJect The Western Oil Mallee Project Going Native Innovative Support for Landcare Focus on Water Use Goodlands Environmental Link Innovative National Landcare Program Project in Midwest Showing the Way with Trees Man~ging the Break The Ifole ofTagasaste in Fanning Systems Trialing Alleys Fanners Weave "Wicked" Web Perennial Pastures are Transfonning Fanning on the W. Midland Sandplain Yellow Lupins 'Koobabbie' and Conservation Fanning Saving the Bush Caroos in the Midwest Community Action for Malleefowl Protection in N. Ag. Region Marron for the Future Growing Native Flowers for the Export Market Cooperation is the Name of the Game Short Tenn Thinking, Long Tenn Solution The Art of Rifling LMS Landcare Tours LMS Council Notes Did You Know?

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Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

YOU DON'T GET SHOT FOR BEING DIFFERENT IN AUSTRALIA

We hear a good deal about salinity, di­versification and oil mallees these days, but these are only three of the many subjects probably on the agenda of most people in the rural areas of WA and indeed of Australia.

The "Innovators" (Webster dictionary: revolutionist) or "first triers" have many additional thoughts and are willing to try out those original ideas - they do not bow to "peer pressure against new prac­tises".

It is often said that "mankind's in­credulity will not truly believe anything new until he has had actual experience of it", so the innovator tends to operate silently for fear of ridicule. Perhaps other northern agricultural area farmers and those involved in agriculture should

Editorial from Ruth Martin

take heart from the following examples of new and not so new farming ideas and enterprises being applied and utilised. (Of course there is nothing to say they are only happening in that area!!)

The range of activities is only curtailed by your imagination (some would per­haps add "the bank") and what your land is capable of,but if you, the farmer, have done your homework, listened, looked and thought hard and have con­fidence in your ability, why not go ahead and DO IT!? You don't get shot for being different in Australia. Your whole farm plan , the catchment and the community could benefit.

Emu and buffalo farming, wildflower production, oil mallee farming, aqua-

culture, grapevines;-4 new and liifferent systems such as alley farming, stubble retention, minimum and no till farming, biological control of pests, perennial crops, remnant vegetation retention, en­deavours to use water where it falls, utilise saline lands and water, systems for controlling excess water, are all the results of innovative farming. Innova­tors go for it!

We, the LMS, would like to hear more of you and give you moral support. One of our main aims is in supporting inno­vators, plus an exchange of information.

We have collected in this newsletter some of the developments in the North­ern Agricultural Region - the people, the advisers, the ideas. Next newsletter our focus will be southwards.

WHOLE FARM INNOVATIVE LAND MANAGEMENT By John Cook, of Dandaragan, foundation member of LMS and farmer ex Bruce Rock

What an exciting time to be farming with so much innovative new technol­ogy coming forward that can raise farm productivity while protecting the envi­ronment.

The biggest revolution in crop establish­ment is undoubtedly the no-till system that improves soil fertility while min­imising erosion by wind and water. The improved water absorption through soil fauna activity associated with high lev­els of organic matter greatly reduces the need for contour banks and drains.

Sub soil acidity has been identified as a major limitation to production over large areas of Western Australia. Liming to raise pH not only improves crop and pasture production, but the increased soil fauna populations contribute to bet­ter water retention.

Intercepting ground water contributing to waterlogging and salinity has been traditionally tackled by planting trees and shrubs. Fortunately some lateral thinking by innovative farmers has seen trees and shrubs of commercial value planted in the landscape. Oil Mallees, pines, blue gums and tagasaste are being planted in agroforestry patterns on ap­propriate soil types. Additionally luceme and perennial grasses are being used to reduce water tables.

Legumes have been the driving force of

John Cook with tagsaste cutter

Australian agriculture and we are in­deed fortunate to have the Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA) based in our State. One of the first exciting releases from CLIMA is a pink soft seeded serradella, named Cadiz.

This legume can be sown and harvested with cereal machinery, so seed will be cheap and will be used by grain farmers in a phase cropping role to raise fertility and control herbicide resistant weeds. Non wetting soils are an unfortunate by product of our farming systems and recently there has been a breakthrough

to aid cereal and pasture sowing by the furrow sowing water harvesting tech­nique. I am fortunate to be a developer and early adaptor on my farm of most of the innovative technology mentioned.

My conclusion is that good sustainable land management is about the manage­ment practices adopted over every hectare of the farm to raise productivity by nurturing biological processes. By following the biological pathway, there is greatly reduced need to implement expensive engineering processes such as banks and drains and is more cost effec­tive and rewarding.

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Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

NO-TILL SOWING ENABLES SUSTAINABLE CROP PRODUCTION

The Western Australian No-Tillage Farmers Association Inc. (WANTFA) defines tillage as re-arranging the entire topsoil structure, in accordance with Australian and American definitions.

Wind erosion is minimised by minimal soil disturbance with full stubble reten­tion, together with practices such as farm shelterbelts, feedlotting, sheep or cattle at vulnerable times of the year.

Water erosion is also minimised under no-till, as is runoff from most soils prior to profile saturation. Structural degrada­tion of most West Australian cropland soils is also minimised under no-till.

Available evidence suggests that contour no-till can reduce water erosion to the same order of magnitude as topsoil for­mation rates - one millimetre depth per one-hundred-to-one-thousand years. Wind erosion can similarly be reduced. Therefore topsoil may be kept essen­tially in place, in good structural condi­tion with no-till, potentially enabling sustainable agriculture in the long term.

No-till sowing is typically carried out using narrow tine points, or disced no­till seeders. A single tillage operation using full cut-out tine points or culti­trash or offset discs at seeding is known as direct drilling. Lesser numbers of tillage passes than the traditional multi­ple tillage, is known as reduced tillage.

What No-Till Involves Weed control may be said to comprise 90% of successful no-till sowing in Western Australia. Weed seed-set con­trol is essential in at least the year before cropping in a crop-pasture rotation . Grass-weed control in legumes is also essential in a cereal-legume rotation.

Herbicide resistance is a possible prob­lem with both tillage and no-till sowing. Paradoxically, farmers observe just as many weeds with tillage as no-till, be­cause of reduced weed germination with minimal soil disturbance. No-till also offers herbicidal . options· not available with tillage, such as a "Clayton's" incor­poration of volatile herbicides applied immediately before sowing, by soil splattered from narrow tine points. No-till also allows earlier sowing, be­cause time is not lost in tillage, and therefore potentially higher yields of longer-season crop varieties. No-till

Kevin Bligh, Secretary WANTFA

farmers therefore have more time avail­able for other jobs, or for spending with the family.

Fuel and depreciation costs are also reduced. As farmer Steve King of Lake Grace observed last year; "No-till has taken the hard work out of cropping". Stuart McAlpine of Buntine observed earlier that "No-till has so much going for it that we can 't afford not to take it

/" up.

No-Till Adoption in Western Aus­tralia Only a handful of Western Australia's approximate 9 000 commercial grain­growers are know to have sown without tillage in 1990. By 1993, 220 reported sowing with narrow tine points (Australian Bureau of Statistics Agri­cultural Census). About a further 130 disced no-till seeders had been sold to farmers. No-till adoption was therefore about 3.8% in 1993. In 1996, estimates range upwards from about I 5% of com­mercial grain-growers.

Such relatively rapid adoption of no-till sowing compares favourably with other technological changes in Western Aus­tralian agriculture - faster than lupins came in the late 1970's, or sub clover in the I 960's, or tractors in earlier decades!

Economic profitability is working in favour of soil conservation with no-till sowing. Five local firms now manufac­ture no-till seeder openers in Western Australia; Walkers of Merredin, Pri­mary Sales Australia (Fabcasta), Ag­master of Collie, Ausplow Pty Ltd (Deep-Blade Seedera) and Nichols Triple Actiona No-Till. Numerous im­ports offer further equipment choices to farmers.

For further comprehensive information about no-till sowing, consider joining WANTF A to receive its Newsletter, in­cluding farmer, scientific and topical ­no-till articles and experiences. The nine back-issues so far are available in a folder from W ANTF A, C/- Kon­din in Group, PO Box 913, CLOVERDALE WA 6105 for $20, or membership to January I 997 next for $20 - or both for $35.

W ANTF A also organises Annual Con­ferences, and other events jointly with

local groups, such as the First Australian No-Till Farmers Conference with the Koolanooka-Bowgada Landcare Group held at Morawa, on 7-8 August I 996, and associated No-Till Field Days rang­ing from Esperance to Geraldton. WANTFA also organised No-Till Study Tours in North America in September 1994 and 1996. The return visit count of North American farmers, scientists and engineers stands at nineteen to date.

WANTFA aims to facilitate the ex­change of ideas, encourage no-till re­search and disseminate no-till informa­tion by maintaining good communica­tion among farmers and other groups. Holistic management views nature as functioning in wholes, which are greater than the sum of the parts. Holistic man­agement represents a metanoia - a change of mind, a change of world view - and, I believe, has much to offer land management and no-till sowing.

W ANTF A also recently obtained Grains Research and Development Corporation funding for a No-Till Systems Develop­ment Officer for five years, and looks forward to further cooperation with other groups and farmers, scientists and engineers on profitable, sustainable crop production in Western Australia.

Extract from a previous paper published April 1992 ... "Not the least of the benefits of no­tillage sowing may prove to be its poten­tial to make agriculture a net sink of greenhouse gases (anon 1991). The characteristic increase in soil organic carbon with no-tillage reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmo­sphere, which is generally accepted in the scientific community are causing at­mosphereic warming and a lower rainfall trend in the agricultural areas of south western Australia."

Editors note - Graeme Malcolm of Koolanook-Bawgarda is one farmer who was only too happy to show the LMS landcare Tour around (see report) and was very involved in the WANTFA conference. On his property it was noted that local trees had reseeded and grown well in the undisturbed soil be­tween the tine rows - nature if leji to itself will recolonise! Perhaps a little troublesome when harvesting?

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Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

OIL MALLEE PROJECT

Oil mallee eucalypts are being promoted as a possible dual purpose landcare plus commercial tree crop for the wheatbelt. As the battle against rising water tables and salinity continues, it has become imperative that, for any revegetation scheme to be embraced by farmers, there must be a potential to generate an in­come from the tree planting exercise. The tree crop also has to be able to survive our eastern and north eastern arid climates as well as doing well in the higher rainfall zones. The oil mallees are seen as being able to fulfil these demands. What are oil mallees? They are mallee eucalypts that have a high natural euca-

P. Ryan, Rural Adviser, CALM, Gerald/on

ing density of 1330/ha. Many plantings are put on the contour to use the water well before it gets to the stage of lifting the water table in the valley floors. At the high density, we feel that the mallees will lift as much water as a fewer larger trees would under normal planting densities and provided enough trees are put into the landscape, there will be a draw down on our rapidly rising water tables.

Oil mallees will provide little wind­break effect as they will be harvested on a regular basis. In the event of com­mercial oil production not being achieved, then the mallees will grow on

Alley farming at Cunderdin with 5 different oil ma/lee species. Planted July 1994, tagasaste planted 1995. Photo courtesy of J & B Stokes.

lyptus oil content. Historically, this oil has been used for medicinal purposes but has the potential to enter higher volume but lower priced markets as an industrial solvent. Mallees produce a lignotuber, a large root mass known as the mallee root from which new growth can emerge if anything happens to de­stroy the above-ground growth. There­fore, mallees are ideal plants to develop a continual harvesting system around -each time the tops are removed, new growth emerges from the lignotuber.

LANDCARE VALUES: The early plantings generally are grown in hedges of two rows two metres apart with seedlings planted in the row at 1.5 m spacings. The distance between hedges can be varied depending on the planting objective. A dense block planting above a seepage area might have only two m. between hedges to give a planting den­sity of more than 3000/ha. More com­monly, hedges would be planted in an open block IO m. apart to give a plant-

to provide a windbreak effect as well as providing groundwater stabilisation.

COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION: Eu­calyptus oil stands a good chance of being a suitable solvent to replace the current industrial solvents that are hav­ing a detrimental effect on the ozone layer and will be phased out over the next few years. The market for indus­trial solvents is quite large, some 7,000 tonnes per annum. If eucalyptus oil can replace 10% of this market, there is a potential to produce 70,000 tonnes per annum in WA. That will take some 350,000-400,000 ha of oil mallee plant­ings that will take many years to estab­lish. With estimates of some 2 or 3 million hectares needing to be revege­tated to control salinity, we will need much greater solvent market penetra­tion or more commercial tree crop prospects.

CURRENT SITUATION: The Oil mallee project has started with plant-

ings concentrated in six areas. The aim is to determine -• the problems associated with

plant production on such a large scale

• the problems associated with plant establishment

• the economics of local oil pro­duction

• the most suitable species for the range of soil types and climates

CALM is also involved with assisting the newly formed Oil Mallee Associa­tion of WA to develop a steam extrac­tion system that is more economic than the traditional extraction method. It is noteworthy that this technology has not changed for I 00 years or more but it is hoped that a new extraction technique that is more efficient can be developed .

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS The first program, already under way, is to improve the yield of oil within each species. This will be achieved by plant breeding from known high oil produc­ers. As can be imagined, tree breeding is a slow program because of the time it takes for the trees to commence flower­ing, but again new technology is being used to speed up the process. Seed orchards have been planted around the State.

Note that using seed collected from untested trees in the wild will not give consistently high oil production. This will affect the economics of harvesting and extraction.

There is research going on to look at the feasibility of using the waste material after extraction in power generation. This will have implications for those areas on the end of the power grids. The power market in the future will be dereg­ulated and the opportunity to sell power into the electricity grid will be there. A commercial feasibility study to look at using wood fuel for electricity genera­tion for Esperance has just commenced.

There are still many unknowns in the oil mallee project, but many farmers can see there may be potential to have the reveg­etation program pay for itself. There is no argument that revegetation is neces­sary for the survival of our farming sys­tems. If it can be achieved with a plant that also returns an income on a regular basis, we all win.

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Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

THE WESTERN OIL MALLEE PROJECT .

Allan Barton is Associate Professor in Chemistry at Murdoch University in Perth. Since 1980 he has been working towards the large-scale replanting of Eucalyptus oil mallees to control dry­land salinity, with the resulting leaf oil replacing environmentally unacceptable industrial solvents.

A few Eucalyptus species produce a leaf oil for which there is a world trade as a pharmaceutical product. Although some "malices", with multiple stems, woody lignotubers, and the ability to regrow repeatedly after harvesting (particularly Eucalyptus polybractea, the blue mallee) are harvested for oil in eastern Australia, most of the world's production of euca­lyptus oil comes from overseas planta­tions of E. globulus, Tasmanian bluegum, grown primarily as a source of wood. The pharmaceutically active component of eucalyptus oil is 1,8-cineole, which is a cyclic ether, chemi­cally stable and unreactive, and with the ability to readily penetrate tissue, pre­sumably the reason for its efficacy in various decongestants and pain relief products. Cineloe is completely biodegradable and relatively non-toxic. It occurs in complex mixtures with nu­merous other perpenoid compounds in the leaf oils of many eucalypts, but to differing extents - about 60% in the case of bluegums, and up to 95% in some oil malices.

There was an embryonic eucalyptus oil industry based on Western Australian malices, but no significant single species areas appear to remain. Thus it was not possible to harvest leaf from the coppice regrowth of natural stands as in Victoria and New South Wales and it was neces­sary to locate remnant specimens of pre­ferred species that yielded high cineole levels to serve as seed sources for plan­tations. To do this, we first developed an efficient analysis procedure.

Cineole contents vary between varieties, between individuals and to some extent with the season. The effects of other environmental factors, such as soil type or position of the leaf on a tree, on oil content and composition are also impor­tant questions. With the help of a vari­ety of funding sources, and assistance from government departments like CALM, Agriculture WA and CSIRO and from individual volunteers, particu­larly farmers, we have answered many of these questions.

Murdoch University campus and small­scale farm plantings in 1986 led to

Allan Barton, Murdoch University

Woodahilling demonstration planta­tions in 1988. When the Woodanilling malices were three years old, they pro­vided evidence that these eucalypts, all except one · native to the wheatbelt and adjacent pastoral districts of Western Australia, can assist in arresting degra­dation and rehabilitating farmland. The species display reasonable salt toler­ance, and are deep-rooted, making them effective in lowering groundwater lev­els. In agrforestry situations their root systems compete less with those of shallow rooted arable crops than some other perennials. Malices can be har­vested as early as three years after planting and they coppice readily from their lignotuber sytems. Indefinite re­harvesting at intervals of two years is expected to be readily achievable, as it is from blue malices in Victoria and New South Wales.

CALM adapted the "tree sharefarming" · concept already used in bluegum plant­ing and obtaine d funds from the Com­monwealth's Farm Forestry and Na­tional Landcare Programs. Collection of leaf samples was scaled up for oil content screening at Murdoch Univer­sity, so that seed could be obtained from superior trees. (These trees are also being used in a genetic improve­ment program by CALM and for the establishment of seed orchards. Pro­duction of orchard seed is expected to commence in 1998.) Capital costs and restricted mobility of harvesting and extraction equipment dictate that for efficient operation the plantings should be concentrated into a limited area. To provide a demonstration on a wide range of Western Australian wheatbelt environments, six centres. were selected (Woodanilling, Esperance, Wickepin, Narembeen, Kalannie/Goodlands, Canna), with the aim of establishing 5000 hectares within ' a 30km radius at each centre. The total area planted reached I 000 hectares in 1994, 4000 hectares in 1995, and is continuing this year. Farmers make a commitment to these plantings on · the basis of their landcare benefits alone, with any future commercial value being considered a bonus. In 1995 the farmers at the six planting locations formed a. growers representative body, the Oil Malice As­sociation of Western Australia.

These agroforestry crops are designed to be integral and multi-purpose com­ponents of total farm plans. This - is achieved by various combinations of a standard "hedge", which is a double planting row 2 metres apart with 1.5

metres between trees in each row. Plant­ings can be in belts of one or inore hedges in alley farming configurations, or in block planting with hedges at 5 to 10 metre intervals. Planting density is typically 1110 per hectare of block planting or 1330 per kilometre of hedge.

Agriculture WA obtained a grant to build and operate a small-scale extrac­tion still that can be moved from site to site to produce small quantities of oil from existing crops for commercial as­sessment, and the Oil Mallee Associa­tion has received some funding from the Regional Enterprise Scheme to assist in setting up a commercial scale still and is purchasing a cane harvester. However, funds for equipment development are less than ideal. In order to be competi­tive, it is important that the harvesting and extraction systems be technically advanced and energy efficient.

The existing annual pharmaceutical mar­ket for cineole worldwide totals no more than a few thousand tonnes (to which Australia contributes only a few hundred tonnes), so a new industrial use was needed. I have research interests in the physical chemistry of liquids and solu­tions, and on this basis we were able to obtain ARC Collaborative Research Grant funding in 1994 to work with Alcoa of Australia on the evaluation of high-cineole eucalyptus oil as an indus­trial degreasing solvent. For two years, this has replaced conventional solvents in one of .their Kwinana mechanical workshops. Eucalyptus oil shows a good industrial degreasing efficiency compared to current commercial hydro­carbon solvents.

At Murdoch University we have devised a laboratory test method for degreasing efficiency and developed solvent blends nearly as effective as the industry "standard"solvent, I, I, I-trichloroethane, which was withdrawn from general sale from January 1995 under the Montreal Protocol due to it's ozone depleting properties in the upper atmosphere. De­spite it's adverse environmental record and poor occupational health standing, trichloroethane was a popular degreas­ing solvent, with annual international sales peaking at a million tonnes in 1993. As no single substitute has been found for trichloroethane, solvent blends based on eucalyptus pil could replace part of this market.

The replanting of Eucalyptus oil malices indigenous to the semi-arid agricultural lands of Western Australia provides a

Page ... 5

means of rehabilitating land degraded by waterlogging, salinity and soil erosion. High oil-yielding species and prove­nances have been identified and se­lected. Prototype commercial plantings

Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

are in place, and a substantial new mar­ket has been identified for eucalyptus oil as an industrial solvent. The West­ern Oil Mallee Project brings into focus the importance of extensive networking

GOING NATIVE

between committed individuals in nu­merous organisations to develop an idea into commercial reality.

Jane Keefle, Landcare Promotion, Midwest Landcare Development Group

Ian Pulbrook has been interested in na­tive vegetation for as long as he can re­member. Now he has been smart enough to turn this interest into a career.

Originally involved in the family farm at Canna, Ian experimented with native vegetation - sure that the venture could be profitable. Now, he is the life blood of the Canna oil mallee cell group grow­ing seedlings, coordinating and super­vising planting projects.

Now employing eight people on a sea­sonal basis, Ian grows 400,000 oil mallee seedlings for the Canna Cell Group on behalf of Conservation and Land Management. In addition, he pro­vides consultancy to CALM, plants all oil mallee seedlings and monitors their success.

Ian explains that he stumbled into op­portunities with oil mallees.

"I got involved quite by chance," says Ian "I had been fiddling around with oil mallees for a few years after I had toured over east and seen their set up. There were some CALM people in the area looking for seed and a farmer told them that I was already doing some tri­als."

Ian had been so impressed by the idea of extracting eucalyptus oil from fann based plantations following a tour to the eastern states, he established his own

Ian Pu/brook (centre) in his nursery

plantation ofoil mallees back in 1988. This same plot is now useful to mea­sure the effects of the trees over a longer term.

Although the oil mallee project absorbs a great deal of his time, Ian is also a qualified Community Landcare Techni­cian and offers site specific advice for on ground landcare works, fann plan­ning, surveying, and other farm based advice to landholders in the area.

"In doing so much work, I am able to recognise the importance of oil mallees in conjunction with other landcare pri­orities like protecting remnant vegeta­tion, encouraging contour workings and dam building to control surface runoff', says Ian. "Oil mallees have an important role in addressing the prob-

lems we're facing on a catchment ba­sis."

Ian is without doubt, a driving force of landcare in Morawa. His influence is evident in the widespread revegetation efforts throughout Morawa and the in­creasing prevalence of understorey species in farm based revegetation pro­jects. As part of his efforts with native vegetation, Ian has established his own quandong plantation with a view to long tenn financial gain. Acting at a local level, he has intro­duced new ideas and plans into ap­proaching erosion, salinity and loss of native vegetation. With such enthusi­asm behind land conservation efforts, the future for local action in Morawa remains positive.

INNOVATIVE SUPPORT FOR LANDCARE

Jane Keeffe, sponsored by Mitchell Fuel's Midwest Landcare Development Group, is the only regional Landcare Promotion Officer in the country, ac­tively promoting the activities of land­care groups of that region.

She says "My real aim is to encourage a greater rate of adoption of innovative systems such as alley farming, prof­itable revegetation and use of perenni­als. The more we do each year, the closer we are lo achieving an environ­mental balance".

Jane Keefle

One of the major successes of Jane's work has been coordinating support from the Greenough Regional Prison. With large nurseries existing at the prison, management has ofered the re­souces and labour to grow seedlings for landcare. In /997, 50,000 seedlings will be grown and planted at degraded sites around the region.

Land degradation in the northern re­gion ofWA's wheatbelt is extensive, and well recognised by farmers in the area as impinging on their productive capacity.

In fonning landcare groups, fanners have been confronting these problems, however frustration slipped in with a lack of support from the wider commu­nity - although fanners were working extensively to deal with land degrada­tion, little recognition was forthcoming from the wider community. People in towns, it seemed, weren't aware of the massive problems emerging in their lo­cal environment.

Help for these landcare groups came in the form of their local BP fuel distribu­tor. Mitchell Fuel has an extensive dis-

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Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

tribution area throughout mining, agri­cultural and fishing communities and had been in a position to recognise the growing concern of people on the land about the viability of their future.

After several public meetings around the Midwest region, Mitchell Fuel pledged to support landcare by developing a sponsorship programme. The project was put together with Agriculture WA,

National Landcare Program and BP Australia.

The project led to the employment of Landcare Promotion Officer, Jane Ke­effe. With a backing to the tune of $60,000 over three years from Mitchell Fuel, the support was matched by BP Australia and NLP, Agriculture WA also pitched support in terms of office accommodation.

From left: Rob Delone of Agriculture WA.Pip Mitchell, sponsor of Midwest Land­care Development Group, Jane Keeffe, Landcare Promotion Officer and Jamie For­

rester of BP Aust.

Such support from local business is crit­ical to landcare groups in the region in increasing awareness of their activities.

Farmers in the region can now regularly be kept up to date with funding avail­able to landcare groups and read about the innovators in the region through reg­ular landcare appearances in the news­papers.

Landcare is being brought to the community through the work of the Midwest Landcare Development Group. Landcare infonnation is cir­culated through small town newslet­ters, regional media outlets and infor­mation through the radio.

The sponsorship of Mitchell Fuel is certainly making a difference for the rural client base in terms of regional coordination of landcare infonnation and news. And for Mitchell Fuel, the project provides an increased profile in the community.

Despite Mitchell Fuel's significant contribution to landcare in the re­gion, the company still maintains other community sponsorship for sporting clubs and events to a level of$45,000 each year.

Frank's research ....... On the return trip -------------------------------"""'to the Pinnacles on 7th December, 1995

FOCUS ON WATER USE Jane Keeffe

One of the major concerns with land conservation is the massive amounts of ground water and surface water runoff at the bottom of catchments around the state.

Mark Newnham at Canna is close to the top of a number of catchment di­vides in the area. Understanding his re­sponsibility to utilise water before it cre­ates problems for those further down the catchment, his priority is to develop management to maximise water use on his property.

"I'm working on the principle that the water that falls on my farm, stays on my farm." says Mark. "The easy way out is to dig a drain and let someone else have my problem, but I'm not prepared to do that." A series of dams across the landscape and extensive revegetation throughout his 4000 ha property assist in utilising excess water.

Despite his location near the top of the catchment, Mark Newnham has consid­erable problems both with salinity and finding good quality ground water.

"I didn't think I would ever get salt this high in the catchment. I thought it was a problem everyone else had, but now I have it, and the saline areas are spread­ing."

"Three things bring me to land conser­vation; salinity, water runoff and provi­sion of decent stock water."

Mark says that he has undertaken an expensive programme of drilling for good quality stock water. Of the forty­seven holes he has drilled to date, all are either dry or too salty.

"It got to the point where I was going to get the drillers to put a test hole down wherever I needed some strainer

my vehicle had a breakdown approx. 5 kms. north of Reagans Ford, Brand Hwy. I filled in time by collecting empty alu­minium cans for a distance of300 m both sides of the road. Swan Gold, Emu Bitter, Emu draft represented 41.9% of the 143 cans collected, with Coke 25.57%.

Based on these statistics, this represents 476 cans/km, 6,473,600 cans in total or 17 tonnes on Highway I. At $1500/tonne there's $25500 sitting by our roadside!

Let's stop wasting precious resources.

posts!"

Part of the Canna oil mallee cell group, Mark sticks by a project of planting 16000 oil mallees each year and an ad­ditional 3000 farm trees. He is opti­mistic about the future for the industry, but adds that either way, he will benefit through an increased area of deep rooted vegetation on the property.

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Land Management Society Newsletter .. . August 1996

GOODLANDS ENVIRONMENTAL LINK from Noel Dodd, Community Landcare Technician

The Goodlands LCD takes in approxi­mately 100,000 ha controlled by thirty members. The LCD is bounded by nat­ural bush on three sides, to the East and West are the reserves of Lake Moore and Lake Goorly and to the North is the pastoral leases of the Southern Murchi­son. The landscape is typical of the eastern wheatbelt running north and south east through this part of the State. The soils are dominated by laterite pro­files on the slope and red loams and

... .

• land management hazards -salinity, water and wind erosion, etc.

From this a draft plan was prepared by the Land Management Consultants (employed by the LCD for this pur­pose).

The development of the Catchment Plan and consequent surveys has iden­tified ill-defined and internal surface drainage systems as a priority issue .

. ..

-. - · <'...t, -1..-

farmers in the district, WA State Land­care Program, Gordon Reid Foundation and the National Landcare Program.

Observation bores are being placed along the length of the corridor, at 1.5 km intervals. Data from these holes is being recorded on computer, thus pro­viding an ongoing record of water levels and quality. A herbarium has been es­tablished locally and plant species are being recorded· to monitor revegetation

....

Plan ofGoodlands Environmental Link between Lake Moore and Lake Goorley

clays through the valleys.

These valleys are broad and ill defined which in turn affects the drainage sys­tem. Cutting through this landscape are the faults and dolerite and quartz intru­sions. The faults shaped the lake and paleo drainage system just as the geo­logical intrusions are affecting the cur­rent drainage system.

Each farm in the Goodlands LCD was fully planned, mapping: • natural resources - soils,

drainage system, vegetation, water supplies

It is the aim of the group to remove ex­cess rainfall as controlled surface water instead of allowing it to become re­charge. From this the "Goodlands En­vironmental Link" project has devel­oped and grown. This wild life corri­dor and drainage system will be a pas­sage, some 60 km long and I 00 m wide, snaking through the catchment. Once it is fully deployed it will open the door for full scale property plan im­plementation. Upstream neighbours will then have a safe disposal point for excess water run-off.

The project is jointly funded by the

of local flora species within the corri­dor.

The Goodlands area is somewhat unique in that clearing only took place in the early I 960's. This thirty year period is being recognised as the time frame be­tween clearing and development and the encroachment of saline water tables. These water tables are currently rising rapidly as elsewhere, but are at a level which, optimistically, can be controlled. It has taken the Goodlands LCD 8 years to reach this stage of development and it is anticipated it will take another 9 years to complete the works program.

Page ... 8

Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

WORKING LINES

Approximately 35% of the North East­ern Wheatbelt is mapped as sand plain. The land units involved are deep yellow earth (DYE), sand over gravel (SG) and Wodjil (WD). They are characteristi­cally acidic with high infiltration recharge values. Surface run off and erosion is limited to rainfall events with I in 20 average return interval or greater. Wind erosion is generally the largest land management hazard these soils face.

The basic toposequence is a ridge divide of shallow laterite (SSL) grading to SG and DYE or WD on the mid slopes. The shallower profiles - SG and SSL -generally return near the break of slope, contributing to the formation of sand plain seepages. +

LINE.5

Recharge from level banks is under­stood and there is no safe disposal point for the excess water from run off.

Using a laser surveying system mounted on a vehicle, a level line is run across the slope, on the return marking run, an averaging system is used to give a more flowing and man­ageable line.

This line tends to be more compatible with the large machinery and manage­ment systems operating in this part of the wheatbelt. This is repeated down the slope at intervals of250-350m de­pending on soil type, degree of slope and other natural resources available.

• ,r., The landholder then works to this line : ·• • • • • : ··.l,_bb for several seasons, until he is con-

Working lines have developed into be­ing a useful tool for landholders when implementing their property plan. Their main evolution has come from land­holders observing and recognising soil properties with their involvement in landcare.

Recognising that working to the contour is an advantage, the landholder is hesi­tant on spending money on earthworks.

vinced that there are no serious man­agement problems, such as access for trucks. If there is, the line is adjusted up or down the slope approximately 20-50m to remove the problem. The line remains an option until it is fenced or trees planted along its length. The trees may be oil mallees, Acacia saligna, fodder or native species for wildlife and wind protection. Having options and not being locked into a decision is the biggest advantage of this system.

INNOVATIVE

L

From this illustrated example the fol­lowing figures were collated: area - 195 ha • original paddocks - 55 ha, 70

ha, 40 ha, 30 ha • new paddocks - 40ha,40 ha, 55

ha, 60 ha • 82% of area is worked to the

contour • total length of comers is re-

duced by an average of 30% • fuel consumption was reduced

by approximately 32% • greater penetration was achieved

when working with a deep tillage implement

Farmers comment - "Depth control at seeding was more manageable".

In summary "Working lines" are • limited to sandplain • low cost implementation • open options for farm managers

implementing their property and catchment plans

NATIONAL LANDCARE PROGRAM PROJECT IN MIDWEST

By Ann-Maree O'Ca/laghan: Regional Ecologist (Landcare) CALM

Ann-Maree O'Callaghan is the Regional Landcare Ecologist with Department of Conservation and Land Management in the Midwest.

I am working on a joint agency project with CALM and Agriculture Western Australia

Funded under the National Landcare Program (NLP), my role is to assist landholders integrate nature conserva­tion and remnant vegetation manage-

ment into the catchment and property management process.

This is being achieved by working with farmer groups, CALM and Agriculture WA officers through existing landcare networks to develop and promote prac­tical strategies for nature conservation on farms in the Northern Agricultural Region.

I am assisting groups to co-ordinate field days and workshops, conduct bio-

logical surveys and develop manage­ment plans for remnant vegetation pro­tection and management.

I am working closely with Agriculture WA Development Officers from Moora, Three Springs and Geraldton to assist catchment groups formulate integrated management plans.

Contact Ann-Maree O'Callaghan, CALM Geraldton: (099) 215 955. See page 20 for further story.

Page ... 9

Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

SHOWING THE WAY WITH TREES Jane Keeffe

The Baxter family property, Petroden, south of Morawa . is an oasis of vegeta­tion in the area following the concerted efforts of the family's revegetation pro­gramme. The farm is ablaze with colour during spring and a source of pride and pleasure for Ron, Lyn, o ·avid and Jodie Baxter.

The family took part in farm planning through Campbell's Catchment in 1990, representing the beginning of formal

basically decides what goes where and we all help. out when we're needed" says David. Lyn is a trained biologist and determines the species to suit the various soil types, situation and requirements.

Most trees and shrubs have been estab­lished as seedlings, however one partic­ularly impressive stretch were estab­lished from seed. " We planted the seed on our new bank. A big rain followed which treatened to break our new banks,

David Baxter of Petroden, Morawa

planning. Now, five years later, they arc assessing their prior achievements and developing plans for their nc~ property.

Petroden's tree planting project began some fifteen years ago and has grown steadily since that time. "Initially, Ron and Lyn started tree planting for beauti­fication. They then realised that the trees had greater potential for water and salt control, so we started to concentrate on those problem areas." says David.

To control this treat of salinity, land conservation efforts have focussed on revegetating drainage lines and banks. This programme absorbs some 13,000 trees per annum and was supplemented this year with 15,000 oil mallees.

All trees are propagated on farm with the seed collected locally by Lyn. "Lyn

but obviously gave the seed a good soaking and we ended up with a good result," says David. Stock were also excluded from the paddock for a period of three years, allowing -the trees a gen­erous establishment period.

The Baxter's property has an estimated 80km of banks controlling water flow across the landscape. This has enabled all cropping to be on the contour further assisting water infiltration and control. The well vegetated .banks are trademark of the programme's success with flower­ing shrubs and trees providing a spectac­ular display.

"The banks have made our cropping more complicated, but that seems to be the trade off for saving areas of low lying land from salinity," says David. "They have definitely assisted in pre-

venting salinity in the · drainage ·lines along the property. We have managed to protect a large area froni salt because of the work we have-done." he says. Despite. the enormous amount of work the family have put into their landcare efforts, they remain modest about their achievements. "It's always easy to take people to places · where we have had good success" says David. "I would prefer to take people to our failures -where trees haven't grown or things haven't worked. There is as much to learn from areas of failure as ones of success."

One recommendation of their work is to avoid tree planting on internal fence lines. It seemed good at the time, he says, but those tree lines now pose a problem for machinery expansion and fencing to soil type. The majority of trees in the paddocks are established on the contour, working in with their crop­ping programme.

The family has further plans for a new property recently purchased to follow on from their success at home. "We'd like to continue our tree planting, we're running out of places to put them ... but we ' re working on that. "

David Baxter, Morawa can be con­tacted on Ph. 099 715 063.

LMS KNOlf YOUll SOILS

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and Natalie Hunt (WADA) is desifj1ted to idrntify yroblem soils and demrnts that influ­

me yroductivity 1111d ma1tllfjeme11t.

The course will equijl each y11rticij1111tt with the knowle~e of how to assess and measure soil and structure, soil drai1tafje, soil and water acidty and soil and water salinity.

THESE POPUIAll AND INl<"OIUIA­TIVE ONE DAY COUUSES AUE

AVAIIAUl,E IN YOUll AllEA

CON'fACT UIS ON 09.450GHfi2

Page ... 10

Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

MANAGING THE BREAK

Break of the season is a difficult time for any grazier. With depleted feed sources, it's often touch and go to get stock through to days when a green pick emerges. In the West Midlands, the threat of wind erosion on soils with poor cover exacerbate the problem.

Chris Patmore at Eneabba is one farmer trying to reduce the risk. Run­ning 4000 ewes, Chris utilises just half his property during winter for grazing sheep. The remaining land-is locked up over the growing season to allow feed to build up to cater for summer and au­tumn feed.

"When we bought the farm three years ago, I knew I didn't want any cropping and I didn't want to have to hand feed sheep over autumn. So I developed this system myself, and I'm pretty happy with it."

Integral to the system is 120 hectares of tagasaste. Well established on the sandy soils, the tagasaste is crash grazed after the break of the season. This al­lows an opportunity for the pasture to germinate well prior to grazing. Half way through their 5 weeks of tagasaste grazing, the perennial is harvested pro­viding additional feed from the upper branches of tagasaste.

The tagasaste also provides welcome protection for the soil which Chris de­scribes as duplex - deep sand over bot­tomless sand. These areas were estab-1 ished to tagasaste five years ago as they were not fertile enough to support a clover cover. By establishing tagasaste, the paddocks' carrying capacity has been increased dramatically and made more sustainable.

Chris says that through the use of tagasaste, the carrying capacity of his deep sands has increased from JOSE/ hectare to 7 DSE as a year round equiv­alent.

Jane keefe

Clover and grass pastures provide ade­quate feed over winter and spring. In 1995 with excellent pasture growth, Chris reaped the bonus of230 rolls of pasture hay to add to autumn grazing sources.

The Patmore's grazing system is based around meeting productivity with soil potential. At no time during the year is

Chris and his wife Robyn have been in the district only a few years. Moving from Augusta, their friends thought they were mad when they heard the Patmores were moving to the West Midlands. But Chris and Robyn are confident of their choic_e of farming land.

"We looked around the state and this area turned out to be most economical in terms of carrying capacity" says

Chris Patmore with Kelly Beissel of Agriculture WA inspecting perennial pasture (tagasaste) at Chris· Eneabba property

the soil under pressure from unrealistic grazing rates. Such an approach to farming in the region allows the sandy soils to develop their productivity throughout months of high pasture growth, without putting the soil under

· pressures during critical times of low feed, poor soil cover and high winds.

"I just hate seeing that wind erosion. I reckon it takes three years to get over it - both the paddock and yourself."

Chris.

Although Chris is currently happy with his innovative grazing system, he isn't about to rest. During the year, he will conduct a number of fertiliser trials and experiment"with new past~re speci~s be­ing introduced to the area. His constant aim is to increase productivity without threatening the land in which he has in-vested. · ·

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE OR SUSTAINABLE CITIES

With sustainable agriculture being emphasised all over the world and people requiring clean air, water and food, the q~estion must be posed - what happens to cities if agriculture is not sustainable? Are our current city systems having a negative impact on the environment? The answer is yes, without a doubt.

Holistic Resource Management suggests that there is another set of factors that we have to take into account if we are to firstly make agriculture sustainable.

Hear ALLAN SAVORY speak on HRM at the Permaculture Conference:- Sept.27 - Oct.7. Contact (09)291 9306 for further information. RON WATKINS ofLMS is also to be a Keynote Speaker at the conference.

Page ... II

Land Management Society Newsletter .. . August 1996

THE ROLE OF TAGASASTE IN FARMING SYSTEMS

The West Midlands has large areas of deep coarse sands. Traditional annual crops and pastures have failed on these soils. The fodder shrub 'tagasaste' is proving to be a viable and sustainable way to use these very poor soils. There is now about I 00,000 ha of tagasaste in the West Midlands and this could in­crease to 500,000 over the next IO years. Tagasaste represents the largest revege­tation exercise by farmers in Australia.

AUTUMN FEED FOR SHJ=;EP

When grazed by sheep, tagasaste is most valuable if used to replace hand feeding in autumn or early winter. This method involves locking the tagasaste up for most of the year and then crash grazing for short periods. Usually tagasaste is grazed for 4 to 6 weeks with about I 00 sheep per hectare. With this system the tagasaste must be mechanically cut each year while the sheep are in the paddock. While this cutting will cost $30 to $40/ha, it is still a cheaper system than hand feeding.

This system may be the most appropriate for wheatbelt farms with only small ar­eas of poor sand and where the farm has only run sheep.

YEAR ROUND FEED FOR CA TILE

Cattle can be grazed on tagasaste year round. Some paddocks have been con­tinuously set stocked, but rotational grazing systems may be more flexible and easier to manage. If the grazing pressure is adequate, the tagasaste should not need cutting. High stocking rates I to 2 cows/Ha) are being achieved on the sandplain, but trials are showing that the feed quality of tagasaste and cattle growth may decline over summer. Supplementary or alternative feed may be needed in autumn to keep young animals growing.

This system appears to be the most pro­ductive and profitable for sandplain farms with extensive areas of poor sands. The initial cost of stocking the tagasaste may be the major limitation for farmers adopting this system.

INTEGRATING CA TILE AND SHEEP ON TAGASASTE

There is currently very little experience with grazing sheep and cattle together on tagasaste. Options could be for sheep

Tim Wiley, Development Officer, Moora

Tagasaste at Dunmar Farm, Moora, November 1993

and cattle to graze together or follow each other in a rotation. This could eliminate or reduce the need to cut tagasaste with sheep and allow a farm to maintain a diversity of income.

This system offers some protection from fluctuating markets and also be useful while building up a cattle herd.

ALLEY FARMING FOR THE BET­TER CROPPING SANDPLAIN

The better yellow sandplain will also grow tagasaste (and Acacia Salingna) but a closed spaced plantation would not allow cropping. Wide spaced alleys of tagasaste and Acacia saligna can be established on these soils at low cost with minimal disruption to the cropping program. The alleys can provide some useful grazing over summer but the primary benefits are from reduced wind damage to the soil and crop. Alley farming paddocks must be designed carefully so that the paddock remains 'workable' . The layout can be designed so that the alleys do not interfere with the movement of machinery.

Wind break systems are essential for the long term viability of cropping sandy soils. Getting the design right is essential' for alley farming systems to work well.

COACH BUSH ECO TOURS

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beautiful WA bush.

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Your Host: Frank Michael "Taking time to observe nature"

Phone Frank on 09 336 3050 for further

information and bookings

Page .. . 12

Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

Two different alley farming systems have been trialed in the Binnu area to detennine the success of the system un­der different rainfall conditions.

Graeme Harris and Shane Green have each devoted land to the trials so as to compare the same alley system in differ­ent conditions. Primarily designed as wind breaks, the rows of trees will pro­vide long tenn benefits to the productiv­ity of the deep sand areas.

Each paddock was selected as part of the demonstration due to the soil's suscepti­bility to wind erosion. Potential existed for this land to be brought back to pro­duction, given that soil damage could be minimised from the regular wind events.

Graeme Harris says he hadn't made use of his paddock for a number of years due to the fragility of the soil. 'The paddock was no good for cropping and no good for sheep - it just kept blowing away", he says, "Alley farming was a logical option.".

Eucalypts and wattles were planted on both sites in 1993 at one hundred metre spacings, allowing sufficient area for both cropping and grazing in the future. The sites were located at 35 mm and 240 mm rainfall zones. Both paddocks had sandy hilltops which were constantly hollowed out over summer by prevailing south easterly winds.

A number of lessons can already be

TRIALING ALLEYS Jane Keefle .

gained from the trails for other estab­lishment projects in the area. Although all existing vermin were controlled prior to planting, Shane· Green' s seedlings were subject to constant pres­sure from wildlife from adjacent Crown Land. "Kangaroos came from miles just to eat my trees," said Shade. "I even had foxes running along the rows and digging up the trees - it must have been something in the potted soil that attracted them." As a result of the poor rate of survival, acacias and eucalypts have been replanted in subsequent years to fill in the gaps.

Graeme Harris" paddock on the other hand has been more successful. With a more reliable rainfall, the trees had a good start and have established well. "It will be a few yfars before I can crop the paddock again. I want the trees to be big enough so that they can handle the chemicals in spraying." Both Shane and Graeme have foregone production from both paddocks for up to six years to allow the trees time to properly establish. This has not been a concern for either landholder, given that the areas were problem paddocks. "This paddock has always had a prob­lem, ever since it was cleared fifteen years ago", says Shane. To develop a more sustainable farming system, changes were necessary if production was to continue.

Either way, Shane and Graeme are happy with the results of the trial so far. Providing more substantial ground

Don Cumminsof Agriculture WA (L) and Shane Green of Balla, inspecting alley farming in the north eastern wheatbelt

cover and soil protection in the long tenn, the land can be brought back into production.

It is planned that wind be monitored on each site, both within the rows of trees and outside the paddock. A picture will then develop of the benefits of the alleys in slowing wind and reducing its effect on the soil. Although providing no real protection benefit as yet, substantial re­sults are expected in coming years as the plants mature.

The demonstration was implemented as part of a trial to develop alley farming as a suitbale system for the area. The demonstration trial attracted funding of $9000 from the National Landcare Pro­gram, although landholders bore much of the expense of implementing the pro­ject. The two sites will serve as demon­stration sites in the area and are expected to encourage further implementation of alley farming in the area.

LAND MANAGEMENT SOCIETY ·

DEMONSTRATION FARM VISIT PROGRAM

Ron and Suzanne Watkins "Payneham" Haynesdale Road

Frankland WA

• 1995 WA Rural Achiever of the Year

• 1995 The only Australian to be given the prestigious UN Global 500 Award

• 1995 UN Environment Program Award, one of eight world wide selected as success stories in land degradation and desertification control

• 1995 winner of the Dept. Environment "I Can Do That" Award

• 1988 Churchill Fellow • The Watkins farm is open to

visitors on the third Monday of each month.

• •

Come and see what can be done LMS Farm Monitoring Kit installation

Contact LMS on 09.450 6862

Page ... 13

Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

FARMERS WEAVE "WICKED" WEB Tom Mitchell, landcare Development Officer, Agriculture WA, Gin Gin

Sandplain farmers are addressing the problems of wind erosion and salinity using some new approaches _ to alley fanning . For many years most peoples' concept of alley farming was of straight rows often aligned perpendicular to the most damaging winds. Whilst address­ing the problem of wind erosion it cre­ated some practical problems with man­aging the paddock. Paddocks are used for a myriad of purposes and the design of the alley farming system needs to reflect the different uses. Where steep slopes are encountered and water ero­sion is a real risk, planting, and farming, on the contour are necessary. Where grazing is the dominant land use for the paddock it may be practical to plant tree rows in straight lines for ease of stock management. If the land use of a pad­dock is a combination of cropping and grazing then a design to accommodate both activities will be required. If agro­forestry is a consideration, then row spacings and orientation will be af­fected.

In the case of continuously cropped pad­docks on sandplain soils, farmers are opting for the SPIDER WEB alley de­sign (picture). The m_ost important de- · sign criteria for this land unit is the movement of machinery during the cropping operation. The planting design is determined by how the paddock is worked . Spacing of rows is determined by multiples of seeding equipment and boom spray widths. Some consideration of the species to be grown and its mature height must also be taken into account when determining row spacings. Most

benefit from wind breaks is up to 10 times the height of the break. The pictured example uses a combination of Tagasaste and Acacia Saligna sown at a spacing of 55 metres. This spacing still leaves 90% of the paddock arable and can be implemented for around $IO per hectare. Mature heights are expected to be in the order of 5-6 metres. The seeding gear is 5.5 metres and the boom spray is 11 metres wide. Consideration of future machinery changes should be taken into account as the shrubs are likely to be there for some time.- Imple­mentation is very simple once the maths has been don. Shrubs were planted during the lupin phase of the wheat / lupin rotation to make the most of the herbicide compatibility of the crop and shrubs. Firstly the crop was planted in the same way as it had been every other year. However, in this case a gap of 6 metres was left every IO runs of the combine. Two rows of Tagasaste and Acacia Saligna were direct seeded into the 6 metre gap as soon as possible after the crop was established. Two rows are recommended in case of failure as gaps in the shrub rows may promote wind erosion through funnelling. Two vari­eties are recommended to allow for un­forseen variations in soil type, ie Tagasaste is suited to the sandier pro­files with good rooting depth, whilst Acacia Saligna will perform well in the shallower sands and gravels. It is rec­ommended that one row should be en­tirely Tagasaste and the other entirely Acacia Saligna as each plant will need to be managed differently. These par­ticular varieties were selected because

of their ease of establishment, suitabilty to this soil type and tolerance to early grazing. Depending on the season and initial growth it may be possible to lightly graze the shrubs in the first au­tumn. This will encourage branching and a better windbreak structure. The following wheat crop will require some careful management. Herbicides will need to be applied in calm conditions to avoid drift onto seedlings.

Wind erosion and salinity are the obvi­ous problems addressed by the alley farming approach . Early results of water use work carried out west of Moora showed 200mm of rainfall escaped past the root zone in the 1995 season. This excess water can only be going on place and that ' s recharging already rising ground water systems. The practical benefits of protecting paddocks from wind include; reduced risk of drift dur­ing spraying, protection of lupins during flowering, fire retardant, protection for lambs and sheep off shears and better use of pastures in a paddock with pock­ets of weaker soil types. In particularly dry years the shrub rows could be cut for emergency fodder.

Alley farming offers many environmen­tal and management benefits, but all of these can be eroded through lack of planning and poor design.

For further information Tom Mitchell can be contacted on 09 575 2211

Page .. . 14

Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

PERENNIAL PASTURES ARE TRANSFORMING FARMING ON THE WEST MIDLAND SANDPLAIN

Agriculture in the West Midlands sand-plain has traditionally been based on annual crops and pastures. These farm­ing systems have failed on the infertile deep sands that make up about 1/3 of the sandplain. As a consequence many farms which have a high proportion of the poor sands have not been viable. In recent times research and farmer experi­ence has demonstrated that perennial pasture may revolutionise sandplain farming. Interest in the perennial fodder shrub tagasaste began in the early 1980's. There is now about 100,000 ha of tagasaste in the region. Since the early 1990's the potential of sub tropical perennial grasses has begun to emerge.

PERENNIAL GRASSES

Temperate perennial grasses did not per­sist in early trail work.. This is despite the fact that they grow in winter when most the rain falls. Surprisingly it has been some sub tropical perennial grasses which are showing the most promise. This group of grasses include species such as Rhodes grass, setaria, panic, kikuyu and para grass that is commonly grown in Queensland and northern NSW.

Some of these grasses, such as . Rhodes grass, have persisted on the worst deep sand, even through the recent very dry summers. However, the . production of the grasses will depend on the availabil­ity of soil moisture over summer. On some sites in valley floors these grasses can tap into shallow water tables and

Tim Wiley, Agriculture WA, Moora

Perennial grasses, Cata by, April 1996

produce large quantities offeed without the need for summer rain. In a trial at Cataby, which flooded in winter and remained moist through summer, 12 t/ha of feed was grown between November and March with very little rain. This very high growth rate should in theory be sufficient to carry I 00 sheep or IO cows per hectare over sum­mer.

While accurate data is not available, it is estimated that about 5% (or 50,000 ha) of the West Midlands has water tables close enough to the surface (<2m) to boost growth over summer.

YELLOW LUPINS

Thtse perennial grasses will not only provide valuable green feed out of sea­son but will also help counter the rapidly rising water tables.

While these grasses are very promising there is still much to be learnt about seeding methods, grazing practice, ani­mal production and testing of different grass species. Local farmers are becom­ing very excited about the potential of sub tropical grass and are actively in­volved in the development of more prof­itable and sustainable farming systems based on perennials.

Jason Brady and Kelly Beissel, Agriculture WA, Three Springs

Yellow lupins (Lupinus luteus) arena­tive to Western Spain and wetter parts of Morocco and Algeria. It is also grown as a crop on acid sandy soils in Russia, Poland, Germany and South Africa.

Although wild yellow lupins can be seen in some areas in the Swan Valley, the south west and along the Mingenew­Dongara railway line there is a renewed interest in this lupin species for agricul- · tural production in our low rainfall ar­eas.

In 1992, Mark Sweetingham, plant pathologist, discovered that yellow

lupins are more resistant to pleiochaeta root rot and brown leaf spot than nar­row leafed lupins. More recently, in 1994, Wallace Cowling, plant breeder, has observed that yellow lupins are re­sistant to Eradu Patch.

CHARACTERISTICS Characteristics that set it apart from narrow leafed lupins for production in the low rainfall areas are its tolerance on the acid soils where aluminium toxi­city and root rots are a problem. These include: • Greater resistance to

• Resistance to Eradu Patch, a plant stunting disease for which there is no known economic control

• More tolerant of high alu-minium levels than the narrow leaf lupin

• Yellow lupins can tolerate tem-porary waterlogging

• Yellow lupins are resistant to CMV (Cucumber Mosaic Virus)

Their use in higher rainfall areas will depend upon their susceptibility to aphids and bean yellow mosaic virus.

pleiochaeta root rot and brown leaf ALKALOID LEVELS spot than the narrow leaf lupins The yellow lupin contains unacceptable

Page ... 15

levels of alkaloid in the seed for export purposes. However, with an alkaloid level of 0.1 % they are still suitable for feeding to ruminants. Varieties with more acceptable alkaloid levels are cur­rently being bulked up for release.

WHERE CAN I GROW YELLOW LUPINS? The following points need to be consid­ered when determining whether you should grow yellow lupins instead of narrow leafed lupins. If you can say yes

Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

to most of these questions then you should be considering growing yellow lupins. • Are your narrow leafed lupins

stunted due to aluminium toxicity • Are your soils typical Wodjil soils

supporting small mallee, acacia and tamma scrub?

• Is the soil pH less than 4.5 and even lower at depth?

• Has there been a history of bad brown leaf spot and Pleiochaeta root rot in your I: I rotations?

• Is the average yield of narrow leafed lupins on the acid soils less than I .0t/ha?

• Do you get poor wheat growth but good growth oftriticale and rye?

Do remember that yellow lupins do not do particularly well on good narrow­leafed lupin country. There is no doubt that on the acidic soils of the eastern wheatbelt and on the sandy soils of the north we will see and hear a lot more of yellow lupins in the future.

'KOOBABBIE' AND CONSERVATION FARMING

Jane Keeffe, Landcare Promotion, Mid­west landcare Development Group says that touring 'Koobabbie' is an inspria­tion. Belts of temendous timber span the property - a legacy of the thoughful and selective clearing undertaken by Al­ison's grandparents early this century. Tall salmon gums and impressive gim­lets form a backdrop for the chores of daily farming.

"I was born interested in conservation -I haven't been converted along the way," says Alison."We aim to combine conservation with production . We are first protecting the vegetation we already have - in areas where other tree planting is needed, we ' ll do it."

In operating a number of enterprises at Waddi Forest, preserving flora and fauna habitats has always taken pride of place for the Doleys.

Under Alison's watchful eyes, two rare plants have been identified at 'Koobabbie' . One (Ptilat11s caespil11lo­s11s) was thought to be extinct, but sev­eral hundred plants have been discov­ered on the property. Rare birds have also been spotted, with a pair of hooded dotterels producing two chicks last year.

Knowing their local environment is a priority, in recognition of the hundreds of species which have become endan­gered since widespread clearing of the wheatbelt. To take stock of the wildlife, the Doleys employed a private consul­tant to undertake a survey of native flora and fauna on 'Koobabbie' . This infor­mation teams with bird watching records which have been kept for over a decade by Alison and John.

Improvement of the 'Koobabbie' prop­erty has been a lifelong goal for Alison. Her grandparents took up the property in the early part of the century. Alison has always been keen to continue the family

Jane Keeffe and Alison Doley

tradition. "I only ever had one ambi­tion when I was young - that was to farm a 'Koobabbie'," says Alison proudly. John and Alison took over the management of the property in the late I 960's to form a third generation of management. Now, the farm is a na­tional leader in conservation.

Alison regularly speaks to botanists and environmentalists about the conserva­tion work on their property. In encour­aging a greater awareness of natural ecosystems, 'Koobabbie' will remain a guidepost for future conservation based farming efforts throughout the state.

John and Alison also have over a num­ber of years been interested in control­ling pests by biological means in pref­erence to chemicals, as Alison sets out in the following.

"Koobabbie" is a 6,885 ha property in the Waddi Forrest district, 240 km north of Perth. The average rainfall is 339 mm.

The arable area is 4,028 ha and on this we produce prime lambs, wool, . beef, cattle, wheat, lupins, chick peas, barley and oats. Because we have retained our livestock enterprises, pasture produc­tion is important. This article will dis­cuss • Biological control of lucerne

flea (LF) and red legged earth mite (RLEM) in pastures.

o Utilisation of saline/water logged areas for grazing by cattle and sheep

• Conservation of remnant vege­tation on the property

BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF LF ANDRLEM At the end of the I 950's LF became prevalent in the medic pastures that were being established as part of pas­ture improvement. In 1969 Murry Wal-

lace from CSIRO released an introduced Bdellio Mite, Neomolgus Capilla/us, a predator that helped control LF in the Mediterranean areas from which it had been accidentally introduced. The in­sects established but only spread 25 me­tres a year. In 1988, Phil Michael, an entomologist with the Department of Agriculture, obtained funding to further work on these insects and Anystis Walla­cei. a predator of RLEM. The work continued until 1994 and we were able to borrow the collecting machines called Pooters to make our own experimental distributions of predators. Success was 83% for the 94 populations ofLF preda­tors, 19% for the 43 populations of RLEM predators moved to new sites. In the spring of 1994 we employed Mary Dutch who had worked on the project and systematically distributed 613 popu­lations of predators for LF at intervals on the red loam soils favoured by LF. In another three years they will be estab­lished in all our medic pastures. Ninety three distributions of the RLEM preda­tor were made.

An article in the No. I 1996 issue of the Journal of Agriculture, written by Phil Michael et al , shows spraying is more effective in destroying pest species and maximising production . However, it must be done at the night time, has a financial and environmental cost and will lead to eventual resistance. In the spring the difference between medic pastures where the LF is controlled by the predator and adjoining unprotected pastures is obvious. The effects of the predator for RLEM are less easily ob­served .

UTILISATION OF SALINE LAND In 1987 John and I purchased 1682 ha of an adjoining salt lake system. This is an area of primary salinity that would sup­port no more than 300 dry sheep equiva­lents year round. Two rare plants grow there. The only known population of

Page .. . 16

900 Halsarcia Koobabbiensis MS grows around a salt lake. Ptilotus Cae­spitulosus was collected by James Drummond in 1842 and thought to be extinct until 1987 when I sent a speci­men to the herbarium. We do not graze stock on this area.

Adjoining the salt lakes on the east side is flat Morrell (Eucalyptus Longicornis and Eucalyptus Myriadena) country. Because it is a friable soil it was se­lected and cleared first. By the l 930's the secondary salinity was appearing. The worst affected paddock was last cropped in 1974 and since 1982 only cattle have grazed there. In 1961 Atriplex Nummalaria was broadcast, mixed with super, over part of the pad­dock. Maireana Brevifolia (Bluebush) volunteered while the prickly Acacia Byssophlla provides shelter for white winged wrens.

It is the cleared land that has become saline that has good grazing potential. We find that cattle graze the bluebush more effectively than sheep. They prune the Maireana Brevifolia into small compact bushes that can seed in autumn white being grazed and produce a greater percentage of palatable mate­rial. Cattle can handle the twigs that are a problem for sheep (Barrett-Lennard and Malcolm, 1995). When sheep graze Maireana Brevifolia the result is one metre high "sticky" bushes with leaves up the sides of the stem. Simi­larly the cattle graze the Atriplex Num­malaria to one metre increasing their productivity and avoiding the problem of tall woody shrubs that break apart.

Higher in the landscape smaller areas of saline/water logged ground occur along drainage lines where water movement underground is impeded by dolor ite dykes . . We have fenced three areas and planted Eucalyptus Loxophleba, Euca­lyptus Salmonophloia, Eucalyptus Longicornis and Eucalyptus Sargentii randomly at ten metre spacings at the centre of ripped crosses. Maireana Brevifolia and Acacia species volunteer readily. In autumn these areas provide a valuable supplement for feeding ewes in conjunction with an oat/lupin rota­tion.

PRESERVATION OF REMNANT VEGETATION The preservation of the extensive areas of remnant vegetation preserved when tl)e farm was cleared is an important aspect of farm management. We have 48 areas fenced ranging from 2-1682 ha in size. This requires 44 km ofa total of

Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

197 km of fencing. Tree planting is undertaken to rehabilitate degraded timber belts or on areas affected by mild salinity/water logging using local provence seed grown by Western Flora Nursery.

Management of these areas includes hand pulling of radish and Pattersons Curse. Shooters provide some control of kangaroos, foxes, galahs and corel­las. The birds are ring barking mature

References Barrett-Lennard, E.G., and Malcolm, V .C. 1995, Saltland Pastures in Aus­tralia. Western Australian Department of Agriculture Journal of Agriculture No. 1-1996. Agriculture Western Australia. 4th Na­tional Conference and workshop on the Productive Use and Rehabilitation of Saline Lands, Conference Proceedings.

Alison Daley of 'Koobabbie'

trees and occupying most of the nest­ing hollows to the detriment of threat­ened species such as the white tailed black cockatoo which breeds here. More effective measures for their con­trol are required. Rabbits are always a problem and we poison or rip holes each year. Pindone provides effective and safe control around the homestead if used correctly.

CONCLUSION It is ninety years since "Koobabbie" was selected and clearing commenced. Its owners have taken a long term view of farming, have endeavoured to pre-

. serve some of the original ecosystem and maintain a sustainable farming system as understood at this time. In­come has been foregone and mistakes made, but it is an interesting property that reflects its owners objectives.

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early primary school children.

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Page ... 17

The importance of remnant vegetation in the environment is only just begin­ning to be understood . . The diversity of plants is critical to the survival of the large numbers of animals dependent on the system. But in WA's wheatbelt, over 93% of native vegetation has been cleared. With that change in the envi-

ronment, hundreds of WA 's plants and animals have become extinct or pre­sumed to be extinct due to the eradica­tion of their habitat. The importance of saving the last remnants of this natural bushland is becoming more critical.

Dick Sasse of Canna understands these problems and is doing all he can to preserve the biological diversity of the vegetation on his property and save areas of remnant vegetation.

Under the State Government's Rem­nant Vegetation Protection Scheme (RVPS), assistance is provided to land­holders to encourage the preservation of privately owned areas of native vege­tation. Under the Scheme, the State government offers subsidy to cover the cost of appropriate fencing to protect remnant vegetation. In return, the land­holder must place a protective thirty year Conservation Covenant on the bushland.

Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

SAVING THE BUSH Jane Keeffe

Dick and Johnette have taken part in the RVPS. They have permanently excluded 445 hectares of their property from stocking as part of the scheme. In all, 20% of their 2180 ha farm has been protected under three separate RVPS agreements.

Dick Sasse of Canna­protect­ing rem­nant veg­etation on his prop­erty

"We've just about got corridors all the way through the property now" says Johnette. The areas link across the property, creating an appropriate corri­dor for local fauna.

Fencing the vegetation was part of a four year programme on the farm. Re­sults are already noticeable with under­storey regeneration.

"We realised that the health of each patch would improve by fencing them off It took about three years to see an appreciable difference in the health of the vegetation, but now it is quite marked." says Johnette.

Dick has been farming in the area for fifty years after returning form national service. After seeing so many changes in the land, he is reflective about the health of the soil and the original vege­tation.

"When we were kids, we used to go to

a lake at Bowgada (south of Morawa) which was thick with vegetation, now all that is left is the casuarina - the whole lake is salt. By the time you get to our age, you realise it's really important to leave the soil in a better condition for the next generation ." says Dick.

Ironically, Dick was part of clearing his farm when first working in the Canna district. Employed by the neighbour at the time, Dick worked a scrub roller in clearing the land. Ob­serving a paddock of some 180 hectares, he says it used to take him two hours to get around and two hours to get back - clearing every­thing along the way.

But now he understands the rarity of these areas and has done all he can on his land to protect the valuable areas of native vegetation.

"At least I can make sure that the bush is protected for thirty years -past that I have no influence, but I now know it is safe for that long."

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Page ... 18

Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

CAROBS IN THE MID-WEST

"Ah! Yes, I remember as· a kid chewing those pods. Sweet and just 11ke choco­late," drawled the old-timer. Well, that's the fruit of the common, but little recognised CAROB · tree (Ceratonia Siligna). It's a tree that stands against the march of time. Just check out the

George ¥atchett, Farmer

Over the last couple of years there has been, and is, a ·"Carob ground swell". We c_an reasonably estimate that up­wards of 6,000 Carob seedlings would have been planted in the Mid-West by this season's end. The larger portion of these by small to medium land holders

The 120 year old Greenou h. male Carob soon to be budded emale

Bible· and King Thut Mose 111 of Egypt . ( circa 1490 BC), or even the Carob in Greenough that is 120 years old. Such a proud, yet little appreciated tree, surely must have something going for it. Why else would there be literally hundreds of them in singles and clumps across the varied landscape and landforms of the Mid-West of this State.

Frorri the estuary's edge in a Kalbarri park to the heat of Mullewa, from the limestone dunes of Dongara to red dirt in Morawa, from the Northampton hills to the sand plains of Yuna. Eneabba, Three Springs, Chapman Valley, Koja­reena and many suburban gardens of Geraldton, · all places where Carobs are growing and flourishing.

Why? Well, let me briefly whet your inquisitiveness. It is a leguminous, very deep tap rooted tree, whose beautiful dark leathery leaves further enhance it's drought resistance qualities.. Easily trained to any desired shape, ·it is toler­ant of various soil types, provides solid shade, is salt tolerant, has no known pests and yields even in a poor season. Not bad for a tree with pods of-approx. 5% protein and up to 50% sugar, which drop around February/March, for stock to browse or for collection.

desirous of harvesting _the pods for hu­. man , co.nsumption. However, also. a growing number of larger land holders are trialing them along fence lines, around the edge of salt affected areas, in erosion areas and on uncroppable outcrops within paddocks. All growers understand the necessity for careful es­

. tablishment and patience if they are to reap the future and long rewards of the Carob. If is indeed a tree that has great potential irrespective of the marginality of the land or weather. The scope of its application is as diverse as our imagina-

lion.

It would be remiss ofme not to acknowl­edge the tremenclous effort of C::AROBS AUSTRALIA formerly kn.own as .Carob Growers) , ASSOCIATION. . This is a non-profit association ofgrow1:.rs wiJling to disseminate the most up to date infor­mation about the production and pro­cessing of the Carob. Their "hands-on" field day,s have led to much cross fertili­sation of. ideas and the development of some ne~ · approaches, all of which auger we.ii ·_for future expansion and down streaming of Carob within the Mid-West region.

For further information re CAROBS AUSTRALIA contact George Matchett Tony Murphy Henry Esbenshade

CAROB FUDGE 125 grams butter

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125 grams Carob Buttons 4 eggs 2 cups,c.astor sugar I teaspoon van\lla I cup walnuts or pecans

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. squares while still warm. (The larger the tin the firmer the. fudge. A Swiss roll tin is ideal.)

•

No wonder I am a fan, YES!! A 5' water spear used to give taproot adequate access on planting

Page ... 19

Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

COMMUNITY ACTION FOR MALLEEFOWL PROTECTION IN THE NORTHERN AGRICULTURAL REGION .

By Ann-Maree O'Callaghan, Regional landcare Ecologist, CALM Midwest Region

The North Central Malleefowl Preserva­tion Group (NCMPG) based in the Wubin-Dalwallinu area, formed in March 1993 to raise awareness of Malleefowl decline and to catalyse com­munity action toward increasing Malleefowl survival.

Malleefowls were once common and widespread throughout southern Aus­tralia, but in the last century their num­bers have declined significantly. Malleefowls have completely disap­peared from a number of areas and the animal is now recognised as a 'threatened species' in Western Aus­tralia.

Malleefowl are an important flagship species for nature conservation and Jandcare in the Northern Agricultural Region. Threatened species recovery and remnant vegetation protection can not be achieved by agency action alone. Integrated community involvement is vi­tal for species like the Malleefowl and its habitat.

The NCMPG is doing just that. The groups initial focus was promotion and awareness raising. A display board was developed providing background history on the Malleefowl lifecycle, threats to its survival, and suggestions of how the local community could help.

Sighting forms were distributed to study Malleefowl populations and information pages were frequently printed in local newspapers.

Inaugural president of the group Mr Gordon McNeil said the display board and publicity was an important first step in prompting Malleefowl conservation in the Wubin - Dalwallinu area.

After this initial campaign of education and promotion, in 1995 the NCMPG coordinated an extensive fox baiting

program. In August 1995, 25 farmers in the Dalwallinu Shire distributed 1500 "I 080" injected baits over approxi­mately 75,000 hectares.

Based on feed back from the partici­pants, Gordon McNeil estimates that approximately 60% of the baits were taken. According to Gordon the take up of baits varied due to their placement. Baits placed along bush (fence) lines where foxes are known to move in and out were more effective than baits placed in open paddocks or along cleared fence lines.

The timing of bait laying was vital to the success of the project. By laying the baits in August when females have young, fox deaths were much higher with adults plus cubs taking baits.

The August baiting also enabled young Malleefowl to emerge from their mounds in late spring/summer when fox numbers were at their lowest. This is the most critical time for Malleefowl survival. It is estimated that only one percent of Malleefowl chicks survive to a reproductive age due to high preda­tion by foxes and feral cats. One study showed that 80% of chicks are taken by foxes within two weeks of hatching.

Whilst most young Malleefowl deaths are caused by foxes and feral cats (adult Malleefowl are apt at escaping foxes by roosting in trees), the NCMPG predict that a greater proportion of adult bird deaths are caused by vehicles on roads.

Road users should be alert in areas where Malleefowl are known to cross. Extra care should be taken during har­vest when they are frequently seen feeding on spilled grain on road verges.

The NCMPG was encouraged by the results of the 1995 baiting. Although no detailed follow up studies were carried out, land holders in the baited area reported a significant reduction in fox

E\'1u Domestic \ Fowl

~ I

Malleefowl

numbers for approximately 3-4 months. Foxes gradually came back in to the baited area from surrounding land that was not baited.

The NCMPG is now focusing on an even greater fox baiting program for August 1996. At this stage it is proposed that approximately 100 land holders will distribute 6000 baits over an estimated 360,000 hectares. The area of coverage will extend from Latham in the North to south of Pithara, out to the lakes in the east and west as far as the Dalwallinu Shire boundary.

The aim in 1996 is to form a continuos corridor of land covered by baits to en­sure as many fox deaths as possible oc­cur in one block. An important addition to this years pro­gram will be the distribution of a "Fox Baiting Report Sheet" to ensure greater feedback on where baits were laid and the number taken.

Although only a small community group with limited time available and only about 8 active members, Gordon McNeil believes there has been a noticeable in­crease in awareness of the value of na­ture conservation since the group com­menced.

The group considers remnant vegetation protection and nature conservation to be important issues in the Northern Wheat­belt. The Gordon Reid Foundation has been approached for funding to assist the group fence five separate bush areas within the Dalwallinu Shire.

The NCMPG hopes that this fencing project will not only increase the num­ber of hectares of remnant vegetation protected but will also raise awareness within the local community of the value of remnant vegetation for Malleefowl survival and protection for other local native fauna and flora.

The activities of the NCMPG has at­tracted the attention of a large section of the Northern Wheatbelt. Malleefowl preservation and remnant vegetation protection are now set to have a perma­nent place in catchment and property planning.

Contacts: Gordon McNeil 096 611 224, Ann-Maree O'Callaghan: 099 215 955

Page ... 20

Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

MARRON FOR THE FUTURE

Landcare often highlights the need to suit production to soil type and water availability, but never has. there been a more productive example than this. Lynton Watson of Dongara has a small riverside paddock with clay reaching the surface. He had never attempted to farm the country because it was inhospitable for cropping. Now however, the pad­dock has a future in marron.

After despairing about the paddock, he began selling the clay to a local brick maker. By chance, this clay buyer hap­pened to mention the area would be perfect for aquaculture - and it all went from there.

The paddock has now been transformed to twenty marron ponds covering some two hectares of land. Before production

Jane Keeffe

April with product being sold and ex­ported through the Jurien company, West Coast Marron for $25 - $28/kg.

Surprisingly, the system isn't particu­larly labour intensive. All harvesting is accomplished by draining the ponds. rather than harvesting through nets. Marron are collected further down the system in settling ponds.

But combining farming and aquaculture isn't always a smooth transition. Last week, Lynton was back lining sheep for lice nearly a kilometre away. Marron are extremely sensitive to pesticides and hundreds began walking from the dam.

Although some marron died, Ken says it ended up being a "cheap lesson",

Lynton Watson(/) with partner Ken Douglas in front of the marron pond in Dongara

even begins, Lynton says he has turned an area of low value into a highly pro­ductive enterprise.

The diversification is welcome both for Lynton who farms 5300 ha in the area and for partner Ken Douglas, a crayfish­erman from Dongara.

Says Ken Douglas, "We were sitting around having a beer one day, when Lynton mentioned he seemed to have the perfect site for aquaculture. I said I was keen and a few more beers later, we'd spent $50,000 each!"

Stocked with 40,000 juvenile marron, harvesting is expected to begin next

given what could have been a disas­trous result.

For Lynton, aqualculture is not so much an effort to diversify as a superannua­tion policy for future years. Now semi retired from the farm, this investment is a nest egg for the future. He says site selection was critical for the success of the project. With soil type "l00% spot on", the project is ideal in terms of intensity of produc­tion. Whilst precautions will need to be taken farming around the site, the re­wards are sure to compound.

With years of crayfishing experience, Ken also draws favourable conclusions

about the future of the marron industry.

"After seeing the restrictions needed to keep a wild fishery in place, I really believe this has some big advantages, but the industry is still growing. All up, WA's marron industry produced IO tonne last year. From my cray boat alone, we fished 27 tonne. It really highlights the need for the industry to support a central selling agency and work together."

Cameron Westaway of the Fisheries De­partment in Geraldton says that from his encouragement, interest in aquaculture is developing across the region, with four or five people seriously considering the investment. He says current breed­ing research will lead to greater produc­tivity in coming years.

Lynton and Ken say they expect a first year yield of a conservative I tonne/ha, however their long term aim is to lift production to 200 kg/pond/animm.

LMS LANDCARE TOURS

During September and October we are heading out to have a look at the Eastern Wheatbelt and

the South Eastern areas. The emphasis will be on

innovation and diversifi­cation.

Like to join us?

Contact the LMS Office 09.4506862

Page .. .21

Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

GROWING NATIVE FLOWERS FOR THE EXPORT MARKET Digby Growns, Development Officer (Floriculture) Agriculture WA

The use of native plants for the export cut flower market is an option for farm­ers looking for alternatives to their cur­rent operations. Floriculture can earn additional income and crops can be se­lected which fit around traditional farm­ing activities.

In I 994/95 Western Australia exported native flowers worth about $15 million. The industry consensus is that this will grow to $25 million by the turn of the century, and that the increase will come from cultivated flowers.

The main crops are waxflowers, kanga­roo paws and banksias. The Agriculture Western Australia agency is also investi­gating several other species to determine their suitability for cultivation as cut flowers . These include Yellow Bells, Smokebush and Verticordia.

The greatest limiting factor for floricul­ture, (and other forms of horticulture) is water. The water quality for most flori­culture crops should be less than 270mS/m ( 1500 ppm, or I 00 grains). There should be enough water to supply 5,000 kL per hectare per year, with most of the water being applied over the sum­mer months.

With other horticultural options water quality of between 90mS/m and 270 mS/m is suitable for such crops as rock-melon, tomatoes and grapes while other crops such as citrus, stone fruit and avocadoes are more exacting in their requirements for water quality, requiring less than 90mS/m conductivity.

Where the water quality is good and where water is abundant, either as soaks or supplied from deep aquifers, land­holders are well placed to exploit this water resource for floriculture.

Some crops, such as waxflower, can pro­duce good quality, commercial quanti­ties of stems without irrigation if grown on or very near a soak. This can mean a saving of between $2500 and $7500 per hectare on capital expenditure.

The one exception to the high water requirement is banksias. These plants can be grown for cut flower production just on rainfall , with good production achieved at 300mm annual rainfall. Al­though it is better to establish banksias under irrigation this is not essential. Not irrigating in the first two years means that commercial returns are delayed for two to three years. Suitable species for this area include B. hookeriana, B. pri-

onotes, B. sceptrum, B. menziesii, B. victoriae, B. attenuata and B. ashbyi.

Sandy hilltops which are eroding due to having no vegetation cover are an ideal place to plant banksias. They can be used for cut flower production and also to prevent further erosion.

The soil type is probably the least limit­ing factor. The requirement is for neu­tral to acid pH where the soils are free draining. The soils in the catchment which are highly suitable are the yellow sands, sand over gravel and the sandy loams. These soils are preferred be­cause of their better water and nutrient holding capacities, however the poorer sands can still be very productive with the correct management. Banksias do better on the sandy soils, and are less suited to the sandy loams.

There is a high labour requirement for intensive industries such as horticul­ture. For example it takes about 500 man hours to pick and process one hectare of waxflower. Such situations can provide employment for locals who might otherwise find work difficult to get. Casual labour can also be sourced from nearby towns.

The question most people interested in such industries ask is what return will they get on their investment. For native cut flowers gross margins per hectare can be between $3,000 and $10,000, depending on the species, plant density, market performance and percentage of crop harvested.

Capital items required include equip­ment for irrigation, a packing shed, fencing and a coolroom, although farm­ers often use their current buildings to offset some of these costs. The capital costs for establishing 5 hectares of cul­tivated native cut flowers is between $10,000 and $60,000, depending on the crop and existing equipment and build­ings.

Post farm gate costs such as freight can be high, sometimes up to 30% of the gross earnings, although some ex­porters will pay the freight in return for paying lower prices for your product.

Aspects of climate which have a detri­mental effect on native cut flowers are frosts and, to a lesser extent, wind. Areas subject to frosts from May to October are unsuitable for cultivation of frost sensitive crops such as waxflower, kangaroo paw and some

species of banksia. Wind can and should be controlled with the use of windbreaks.

Management of a cut flower plot re­quires a spray program for fungal and insect pests. Apart from the damage done by insects to flowers and leaves, thus reducing quality, the presence of live insects on arrival at many export destinations will mean that the consign­ment is fumigated at the cost of the exporter. This often means that the pro­duce is unsaleable, giving a negative return to the exporter.

Some fungal diseases, such as Botrytis (grey mould), can cause unsightly dam­age on flowers such as Banksias, and even flower drop in crops such as waxflower, resulting in significant losses in the field and during shipment. There­fore a preventative spray program needs to be in place to maintain quality.

Post-harvest techniques include insect disinfestation, cooling, pulsing of flow­ers, drying and dyeing, and packing. Each crop type has its own particular requirements.

Anyone wishing to grow native cut flowers should contact Mr Digby Growns on (099) 21 0555.

THELMS FARM MONITORING KIT

Using the Farm Monitoring Handbook as a reference, the farmer friendly, practical Kit,

contains step by step instructions and the equipment to undertake 14 of the environmental indica-tor tests outlined in the book. The Farm Monitoring Kit -

helping you get to know what is happening above and below your

soils.

Like to know more? Contact the Land Management Society,

09.4506862 or fax 09.4501763

Page ... 22

Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

COOPERATION IS THE NAME OF THE GAME

Under a project initiated by the WA Municipal Officers Association and with funding from NLP, Agriculture WA and some local government authorities, a landcare coordinator was aapointed to help council officers gain skills in ad­dressing landcare concerns and develop closer relationships with landcare groups. Terry Jacobson was appointed to this position.

In September 1995 the Report of the Joint soil and Land Conservation Coun­cil/Western Australian Municipal Asso­ciation Working Group made a number of recommendations. Not the least of these recognised the need for Local Government to cooperate with commu­nity based conservation groups.

Since commencing in April of this year as Local Government Landcare Coordi­nator I have been very encouraged to observe that close working relationships do exist between local governments and their landcare groups. Councils have

Terence Jacobson

provided office space, secretarial/ad­ministration support, the use of council equipment at reduced rates, as well as financial help.

This council support is most welcome and is reciprocated in the form of ex­pert advice on a wide range of topics. Many residents serve their communi­ties as councillors while others join conservation groups. Some dedicated individuals act in both capacities. In many shires LCDC's make reports to council meetings and council represen­tatives speak at LCDC meetings. As may be expected, with such close bilat­eral working relationships, the benefits can be enormous.

The question then arises, why is this team spirit not found in all districts? Why has a "them and us" attitude de­veloped in a (fortunately small) number of districts? Surely we are all working towards a common goal. It has been suggested that the reason for this lack

of cooperation is merely a conflict of personalities. Be that as it may, it is es­sential for the good of Australia as a whole that we pull together. Differ­ences must be put aside so that we all may benefit.

On a more positive note, congratula­tions must go to the vast majority of councils which are doing the right thing. Their work, in conjunction with com­munity based conservation groups gives hope for the future.

Ed. 's note - Terry Jacobsen, is, we be­lieve, the first such Landcare Coordina­tor in WA . Based in Mingenew, he has extensive and wide interests. Originally a/armer, a graduate of agricultural school, having a more than passing knowledge of Indonesians and Indone­sian and a Landcare Technicians Cer­tificate. He has worked on Jarrah die back problems and feels strongly the need for more future planning as he sets out in the following article.

SHORT TERM THINKING LONG TERM SOLUTION

Perhaps the biggest obstacle currently facing conservationists in rural Aus­tralia is short term thinking. Grain pro­ducers are accustomed to receiving at least partial return on their investment within, on average, 7 to 8 months. They sow their crops at the break of season, usually May or June, and expect to re­ceive a first payment before Christmas. Sheep and cattle producers have to wait a little longer, possibly up to I 8 months, for their income to arrive. Barring natu­ral disasters such as flood, drought and fire, that all-important cheque should arrive within a reasonable period of time.

With this indoctrination in mind how then are we going to convince people to plant a crop which has zero, or even a negative, income period of IO years or more? For many years now farmers have recognised some of the more obvi­ous benefits to be derived from trees. They lower the water table, act as wind­breaks and hold the soil in place. How­ever, trees have other benefits which some farmers are much slower to recog­nise.

Of particular importance is the potential

Terence Jacobson

to generate income in their own right, much in the same manner as crops and livestock.

Firewood, charcoal, pulpwood, euca­lyptus oil, fruit and nuts as well as fence posts and saw logs can contribute handsomely towards farm income. The only major drawback being the times­pan between planting, harvesting and the subsequent income flow.

It is encouraging to note that the W.A. government is, in the form of the Re­gional Enterprise Scheme, promoting the revegetation of private farm land. The need for a "process or market to drive the demand for revegetation" is specifically recognised. What is not targeted, by this scheme at least, is the income gap dilemma faced by those farmers who have the desire but not the means to be environmentally responsi­ble.

What is needed now is a significantly greater degree of assistance for the more hard pressed rural landowners. Local Government is, in varying de­grees, providing a range of assistance for community based conservation

groups. Unfortunately, the limited re­sources of_ mahy councils means that state and federal agencies must shoulder the major part of the burden. Indeed, Local Government, as a significant land holder in its own right, may even be a recipient of such assistance.

As the title of this article suggests the problem is not going to be solved overnight. Environmental scientists have come up with the solution to many of our conservation problems. It is now up to those individuals and organisa­tions charged with implementing solu­tions to do so and in a manner most likely to succeed. The day of the " bandaid" approach is gone. The vic­tims must look far into the future as only major surgery followed by a long stay in the intensive care ward will cure this disease.

Page ... 23

Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

LMS LANDCARE TOUR - UPPER NORTHERN AGRICULTURAL AREA, JUNE 1996

Augustine Doronila, Research Associate, School of Environmental Biology, Curtin University

We made our way out of the city through the grape growing region of the Swan valley and eventually out on to the Brand highway. The landscape around Gingin was mainly that of improved pas­tures with cattle grazing. After two hours we were very much in the kwon­gan or sand heath country. With no break in the season as yet, most of the pastures we saw by the roadside were still dry and seemingly lifeless.

Our first stop was at the 5000 ha prop­erty of Don and Joy Williams, who had run sheep on their property for more than 20 years. We were shown a section of their property which contained a 2000 acres of remnant vegetation. Morning tea was had along side a thicket of the only known population of new eucalypt species. They proudly called it their na­tional park. Their enthusiasm was infec­tious in explaining the botanical diver­sity of the different vegetation communi­ties present. We went through different land fonns and soil types which pos­sessed a wide diversity of endemic and rare species of plant. The subtleties of the plants flowering at this time did not fail to impress. The Williams were a good example of a farming family incor­porating tourism into their farming sys­tem. They indicated that about 30% of their livelihood came from the farmstay and tourism side of the farm.

Its was hard to leave quite an attractive stopover however, we went on to Don­gara. Frank had organised quite a sump­tuous lunch pack which we readily de­voured. Our. next stopover was to Craig and Danelle Fprsyth's property in Don­gara. This was very . much sand plain country with problems of water repellent soils due to continuos legume produc­tion. We .were showi1 a paddock sown with lupins ~hich had good germination after the f)rst rains. Site preparation em­ployed was seeding into furrows which allowed water to be harvested and made available to seeds in the bottom of the furrows . A trial was also being con­ducted on the use of clay to improve the wettability of the soil. Craig spread I00t/ ha of clay from another area of the farm and ploughed it into the topsoil. The initial germination of lupins on this pad­dock was quite e~couraging.

Other methods which were employed to increase the sustainability of his farming practices were· alley farming and plant-

ing tagasaste on the deep sands mainly to reduce wind erosion occurring. Craig felt that the use of tagasaste gave him a better option as he could profitably graze cattle on this and reduce the degradation of the paddock from wind erosion.

We then proceeded to the Irwin river valley and it was quite plain to see the effect of erosion on the river system. On arriving in the late afternoon at Graeme and Glenys Preston's property we were greeted by rows of trees de­marcating one paddock from another. Most of the trees were obtained from local provenances of river red gum growing by the river and these were growing quite well with an approximate height of I Om after 15 years. These were planted to create windbreaks which protected paddocks which were highly prone to wind erosion. Graeme was very enthusiastic about the im­provement and conservation of his soil through stubble retention . He was very positive of the effects on being able to maintain the sustainability of his crop­ping practices due to these soil conser­vation methods.

By the time this visit was ending night was falling so we weaved our way through the back roads towards Morawa.

We spent the night in the local Morawa pub where we had a hearty evening meal and good conversion among the group comprising several ecologists, a lawyer, a farmer and a tour guide .

Next morning the first stop was a pri­vate nursery run by Ian Pulbrook which was raising ca I million oil malice seedlings which were to be planted out into ·alley farming systems mainly to combat rising saline ground water. This was one of the first nurseries to grow oil mallee and York gum for eucalyptus oil in the state. It was commissioned by CALM to grow seedlings for the oil mallee program.

We next made our way towards the Koolanooka- Bowgada area to observe some of the eucalypt oil mallee planting which had been done in the last 3 years. It was encouraging to see large scale plantings which were thriving in the saline affected areas . .

We then met up with Graham Malcolm of the Bowgada-Koolanooka catchment. The soil conservation strategies of the catchment group were explained to us and the predominant theme was their enthusiastic acceptance and use of no tillage methods. They felt that using this technique had allowed them to crop oth­erwise marginal areas by enabling them to better use the otherwise lower mois­ture available in this area. We were shown the improvement in the soil struc­ture and moisture retention in some trial plots which they had prepared. There was also good germination of lupins which were sown in the first rain. I was impressed with the initiative of this group in trying to employ techniques which they had observed in a visit to the USA to learn about soil conservation practices. They were obviously reaping the benefits from such methods.

As we made our way back to Perth several things came to mind especially as we were driving through midlands with their undulating country and heav­ier soils. The contrast was great to the landscape we had just experienced a couple of hours previously. Fanners in the northern areas were hanging out for rain and as the season was certainly quite late (middle of June) while every­thing was already quite green as we went closer to Perth . The predominant thought I had was of meeting people who were willing to adapt to the uncer­tainties of farming in such areas by di­versifying their farming practices and look towards the future by trying to employ methods which take into account knowledge of better soil conservation practices, using appropriate species to plant in such farming systems, in other words trying different strategies which may allow them to. sustain their farming systems in otherwise almost marginal areas.

We were also fortunate to have had on tap the first hand knowledge of Frank Michael regarding life o,n the land of that area. I think trips like these can be a valuable extension tool to other fann­ers wishing to see strategies being em­ployed in different conditions.

The weekend after the break of season finally happened and good falls occurred in the areas we had visited.

Page ... 24

Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

THE ART OF RIFFLING From Avril Baxter, Community Landcare Technician, Narrogin and LMS Zone 4 Representative.

Riffles are naturally occurring rock or vegetation bars across creeks and rivers. Acting as mini dams, they form deep pools where nutrients and silt washed in from the surrounding catchment settle out. Within these pools, nutrients and oxygen are consumed by aquatic life and as the river starts to flow with winter rains, water tumbling over the riffie be­comes re-oxygenated. The deep pools are acting like the digestive system of the river and the riffles its lungs. In this way, nutrients are recycled many times throughout the river system decreasing the likelihood of algal blooms.

Riffles also have an interesting effect on flow patterns. At a recent workshop run by the Water and Rivers Commission, participants learnt of the work of Bob Newbury, a Canadian river engineer. Bob has been rebuilding river systems for many years. According to Bob, river behaviour is similar all over the world, however a river can get out of balance due to catchment and channel clearing and this lack of hydraulic equilibrium can lead to major problems of flooding and bank erosion etc.

Building riffles are one way of taking some of the erosive energy out of the river and slowing the whole system down. Built to the level of regularly occurring winter flows and having a V­shaped channel, they take the erosive

A rock riffle at Spencers Brook built by participants of the River Restoration Workshop.

force away from the sides of the banks and concentrate it in the middle of the channel. Energy is also taken out of the river as it tumbles over the gently slop­ing downstream face of the riffie.

According to Bob, pools and rimes should occur regularly along any stream. These simple engineering

works can be designed for a particular situation by using measurements from a river survey. They are relatively cheap to build and offer many ecological ad­vantages. For further information con­tact Caroline Seal at the Water and Rivers Commission.

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LMS LANDCARE TOUR OF THE NORTHERN AGRICULTURAL REGION, JULY 1996

Excellent tour. Great enthusiasm by speakers and tour members. The subjects we discussed point to ,~, a sustainable agriculture ,,

All the issues seen and raised by speakers should be put before the general community for greater sup- 'W'' port and funds. Tours should be available to young people in the final year of schooling 'W'

Good to look at landcare issues and solutions in other parts of the State. Good to see different types ~w' of remnant vegetation. Good discussion within group. Good food. Great to see the appreciation of farm- 2

ers in receiving a bottle of wine - small gesture, but indicates a lot. ~-I am ever amazed at the dedication of individuals in working towards their goals and the three fanners 'W'

and Jamie's Kalannie Group were evidence of this great drive and spirit. One can only hope their dreams 'Q' will be fulfilled.

A very informative and enjoyable experience. sions within the group.

'W' I particularly enjoyed the lively and interesting discus- ,:, -w~

Great to hear the views on the catchment approach to land management and to see some linking in the ·w, approach to water, wind and soil issues, while not forgetting nature issues like diversity and fanner issues "

'W'' like production. ·.•

'W' Photos on the page Jo/lowing give some idea of what all this enthusiasm was about

Page ... 25

Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

LMS LANDCARE TOUR OF THE NORTHERN AGRICULTURAL REGION, JULY 1996

THANKS

Peter Isbister, John Cook, Ian Pul­brook, Tom Mitchell, Noel Monks, Graeme Malcolm, Don Williams, Graeme Preston, Jamie Faults, Craig Forsythe and Frank Michael

who were so willing to share with us on our landcare tours.

I Morning tea on the road

Peter Isbister of Moora tells of his experiences

Rock Catchment area

LMSFARM MONITORING KIT

WORKSHOPS

Will soon be available in your area

50% subsidy via RAFCOR to bona fide farmers

This one day workshop will take you through the LMS Farm Moni­toring Kit, with lots of helpful in­

formation as to how to choose sites and implement a monitoring program. The emphasis will be

'hands on'

Contact the LMS office on 09.450 6862 for further

information and bookings.

Page ... 26

Council members continue to repre­sent LMS at a variety of meetings • David Chambers is our represen-

tative with the Waterwatch Steering Committee, which is considering the future funding and directions for the excellent Ribbons of Blue Program.

• Gaye Chambers attended an ini-tial meeting called by the Avon Catchment Agriculture WA group, which considered the ways in which landcare information could be dis­seminated to small landholders in their area. Peter Robinson is to attend a working group at the end of the month, which will develop a small landholder manual.

• Ron Watkins met with a number of politicians in Canberra in June and told them a little of what he and LMS were achieving.

• Council members meet mid Au-gust with the Taskforce to Review Natural Resource Management and Viability of Agriculture in WA. Members will, among other things, be putting the LMS view of the need to look at the whole picture, not just legislation, the need for monitoring and keeping it farmer focussed, re­taining remnant vegetation and rec­ommending no further clearing, the emphasis to be on education rather

Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

COUNCIL NOTES Gaye Chambers

than legislation, the promotion of "what's in it for us" rather than "what's in it for me", the need for long term thinking, and the promo­tion of eco-tourism.

• Avril Baxter and Jenny Gardner attended a River Restoration Work­shop earlier this year, mention of which is elsewhere in the newsletter

• Jenny continues to very ably represent LMS on the Blackwood Catchment Working Group meet­ings.

• Frank Michael and Ruth Martin have also been excellent LMS rep­resentatives at various meetings.

• David and Gaye have had sev­eral encouraging meetings with Farm Monitoring Kit owners and Agriculture WA people. • Peter Robinson will attend the WANTF A AGM as the LMS represen­tative • Jenny attended the SW Local Govt. Conference earlier this year and Natalie Hunt will attend the follow-up meeting.

Sponsorship - Frank, Henry and Peter have all undertaken to seek sponsorship for the work of LMS. Two projects that require funding are the provision of computing equipment for the LMS of-

DID YOU KNOW?

fice and the production of a video to promote the farm monitoring kit.

Demonstration Farm Visits - these continue to be very popular, with book­ings through until October. Ron and Sue Watkins continue to do an excellent job at promoting LMS and provide stim­ulating and interesting time for visitors. The Governor of WA is to visit in Au­gust.

Farm Monitoring Kit Workshops -thanks to RAFCOR we can offer a 50% subsidy for a day long course and the cost of a Kit. Natalie Hunt and Gaye Chambers have been writing the course material, with input from David and oth­ers. This should be ready in the next couple of months.

The Farm Monitoring Handbook is proving popular with universities in the USA. We have recently mailed copies to Ohio and Kansas State Universities and have had some interesting discus­

sions via Email with peo­ple there.

CONGRATULATIONS to Natalie Hunt who is to

wed Michael in Ireland in early Septem­ber.

compiled by Gaye Chambers from publications that come across the LMS desk

The Australian New Crops Newsletter for July includes articles on Olives, es­sential oil research on peppermint, fen­nel and boronia, carobs, ginseng, indus­trial hemp, native bushfood. Copies of any of this information can be obtained from the LMS office.

The Uniview Magazine for June includes an interesting article on two former sheep farmers who are planning to farin fish at Jurien Bay, using brine shrimps raised in salt lakes to feed fingerlings.

The Gene File has articles on gene spliced pork "Bringing Home the ' Super' Bacon", another on "Changeling Cheeses", references to allergies from genetically engineered soya beans and news of engineered genes that can es­cape from plants, animals and microbes into the wild and spread.

Greening WA is offering 150,000 seedlings to community groups and landholders involved in nature conserva-

tion projects under its new Trees and Seeds for Diversity program. Contact Dorothy Redreau on 09.4812144 for further information.

Greening WA is also launching Rex ' 96m the Re vegetation Expert sys­tem - a computer software program de­veloped by Ag. WA, CALM, Greening WA and Robin Road Software. This should be most helpful when choosing trees and other plants for Australian conditions.

Permaculture West 's · July issue has a most interesting article on Organic So­lar Architecture - the synthesis of straw bale construction and renewable en­ergy.

We have also received a most interest­ing article from the CS/RO entitled "Seed Saviours". Australian acacias are flavour of the month, both at home and abroad. Bryony Bennett reports on an outback selection program designed

to cater for the rising demand.

News of a research project at the Uni. of NSW which looks at a new technique for estimating environmental values.

Agroforestry News has a fascinating arti­cle on "Duck Manure, Food Sludge and Composting". Brian Barrett of Victoria has a 600 acre Simmental stud farm. He has reduced nutrient levels leaving his farm, reduced fertiliser costs, improved conception rates in his cattle and re­duced disposal costs for a food com­pany, plus grown healthy trees.

The Men of the Trees Property Plan­ning Course is to be held on the weeknd of 24th and 25th August. This course is ideal for owners and potential owners of small and large properties, who wish to design and implement a sustainable property plan based on sound landcare techniques. Contact Tracey Bell 09.3663337, fax 09.4305729

Page .. . 27

Land Management Society Newsletter ... August 1996

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Page ... 28