Natural resources bulletins

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The land is in your hands : a practical guide for owners of small rural landholdings in Western Australia

Department of Agriculture and Food, WA

This Bulletin discusses various aspects of managing a small farm or property in Western Australia, including soil and land care, vegetation and plant control on farm holdings, water resource management, biosecurity, plant, animal and insect pest control and livestock management.
Perennial pastures for Western Australia

Geoff Allan Moore, Paul Sanford, and Tim Wiley

The aim of this project was to identify potential new perennial legumes and grasses to complement lucerne in phase farming and to identify the role and potential for perennial grasses in Western Australia.
Current property size distribution of landholders in the Northam Advisory District

Jeff Russell

The reason for conducting this short study was to gain a better understanding of the property size distribution of landholdings that exists within the Northam Advisory District (NAD). There has been some deal of conjecture as to the extent of property size within the district ... Read more
Climate change and adaptation in south west Western Australia

State Greenhouse Action Committee and Luke Morgan

Phase One of Action 5.5, State Greenhouse Strateg.

A report to the Western Australian Government and Australian Greenhouse Office

Community, industry and government views on past and future climate change for South West Western Australia
A Manual for raised bed farming in Western Australia

Derk Bakker, David Houlbrooke, Greg Hamilton, and Cliff Spann

This manual provides a complete set of information on the nature, location, occurrence and reasons for waterlogging and how to prevent it. The preventative technology, raised bed farming, is explained in terms of: how and why it works; the practical means of installing and maintaining ... Read more
Mole drainage for increased productivity in the south west irrigation area

D L. Bennett, Richard George, and Bill Russell

Heavy soils, with low rates of soil-water movement, such as those found in the South-West Irrigation Area (SWIA), require closely spaced (2-6 m apart) subsoil drainage systems to provide sufficient water movement to control the effects of salt-waterlogging on pastures. Such close spacing using traditional ... Read more
Deep drains to manage groundwater

Neil Cox, Sylvia Tetlow, and Neil Coles

A channel that is 1.0 m to 3.0 m in depth is considered to be a deep drain. The drain is excavated to a depth that is sufficient to intercept the watertable in order to capture and convey that groundwater from flat, poorly drained land.
... Read more
Managing grey clays : to maximise production and sustainability

Greg Hamilton, Peter Fisher, Matt Baimbridge, Jennifer Bignell, Jessica Sheppard, and Rod Bowey

This bulletin discusses the identification, understanding and management of grey clay soils in the south-west of Western Australia.
Farm dams in Western Australia

David Stanton

This bulletin provides practical information on the location and construction of dams on farms in Western Australia. Various types of dam, with diagrams and explanations, are included. Also discussed are the planning considerations, failures and problems, design, construction, maintenance, legal aspects, impacts and risks of ... Read more
Roaded catchments to improve reliability of farm dams

David Stanton

Maintaining reliable on-farm water supplies is an on-going challenge for landholders throughout Western Australia. Improving reliability of dams by constructing a roaded catchment is one of the most cost-effective methods of improving the performance and reliability of a farm water supply.

A roaded catchment is ... Read more
Wheatbelt waterwise = saltwise : gardening guide

John Colwill and Juana Roe

As a result of agricultural clearing, many country towns are now feeling the effects of rising groundwater and the salt that it carries. Salinity has been identified as Australia’s number one environmental problem. While most people think that salinity means land lost to agriculture, it ... Read more
An inventory and condition survey of the Pilbara region, Western Australia

A M E van Vreeswyk, K A. Leighton, A L. Payne, and P Hennig

The inventory and condition survey of the Pilbara region, undertaken by the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia between 1995 and 1999, describes and maps the natural resources of the region’s pastoral leasehold land. This survey report provides a baseline record of the existence and condition ... Read more
Dam design for pastoral stock water supplies

J S. Addison, R J. Law, and G B. Eliot

These notes provide information on many components of water harvesting storage systems designed for use in semi-arid areas. The notion of a water harvesting and storage system is deliberately emphasised. No single design component can be considered in isolation if the goal of a drought-proof ... Read more
Saltland pastures in Australia, a practical guide

E G. Barrett-Lennard, A D. Bathgate, and C V. Malcolm

Farmer choices for saltland pastures, Salinity and options for saltland in Australia - Factors affecting plant growth in saltland - Establishing saltland pastures - Grazing value of saltland pastures - Productivity of saltland pastures - Assessing the economic value of saltland pastures - Common names ... Read more
Sorption of phosphorus by soils : how it is measured in Western Australia

Michael D A Bolland, D G. Allen, and N J. Barrow

Most soils used for agriculture in Western Australia had insufficient indigenous native phosphorus P for the introduced agricultural plant species used in the region so fertiliser P had to be applied. This bulletin covers how water-soluble P WSP fertilisers are made, and how the P ... Read more
On-station production of native Speargrass hay in Western Australia

G L. Krebs, Robert R. Rouda, and S P. Van Wyngaarden

This report documents the practical and economic feasibility of on-station harvesting and production of speargrass hay and haylage and its subsequent feeding to cattle and sheep in the extensive regions of south-eastern Western Australia. Four hundred and ten bales weighing an average 275 kg were ... Read more
Guidelines for management of farmland adjacent to the Busselton wetlands

William Oldfield, Department of Conservation and Land Management, and Department of Planning and Infrastructure

The Busselton Wetlands are a chain of wetlands that lie parallel with the coastline of Geographe Bay, Western Australia and in close proximity to the town of Busselton. The main issues for the maintenance of quality of the wetlands are nutrient levels and habitat value. ... Read more
Sustainable land management in the Ellen Brook Catchment

Kylie Banfield

The Ellen Brook Catchment is a key catchment in the overall health of the Swan-Canning estuarine system. It has been identified as a major source of nutrients entering the estuary, exporting an average of approximately 77 t of nitrogen and 26 t of phosphorus per ... Read more
Soilguide (Soil guide) : a handbook for understanding and managing agricultural soils

Geoff Allan Moore

This handbook integrates the current knowledge of soils in south-western Australia in a user-friendly form. It describes how to assess which soil properties influence production and land degradation in the agricultural area and summarises management options to remedy or minimise soil limitations. The potential for ... Read more
Economic impacts of salinity on townsite infrastructure

Rural Towns Management Committee, Department of Agriculture.

The study looked at six case study towns: Katanning, Brookton, Corrigin, Cranbrook, Merriden and Morawa. Recommendations are mde for each town to manage salinity issues.
South west hydrological information package : understanding and managing hydrological issues on agricultural land in the south west of Western Australia

Peter J. Tille, T W. Mathwin, and Richard J. George Dr

This manual reviews current knowledge of the hydrological issues that affect, or are affected by, agriculture in the catchments of the south west of Western Australia.
Soil factors influencing eutrophication. In Soilguide. A handbook for understanding and managing agricultural soils. (ed. Geoff Moore)

David Weaver and Robert Summers

Eutrophication is essentially the nutrient enrichment of waterways leading to algal growth. It must be controlled to maintain sustainable agricultural systems and the main mechanisms of control are stabilising catchment processes and reducing nutrient output.

Eutrophication can be defined as 'the nutrient enrichment of waters ... Read more
Catchment Water Management: Guidelines for those considering drainage for waterlogging and salinity management

Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia; Water and Rivers Commission; and State Salinity Council

Landholder groups and government agencies are continuing to develop "best drainage practice" guidelines and these will increase our knowledge of drainage, and deep drainage in particular, as a management tool. The brochure does not provide all the answers, but is intended to provide some basic ... Read more
Practical hints for the layout and construction of 10,000 m3 circular dams

Terry Babbington and J S. Addison

These notes and illustrations have been compiled to assist earthmovers in the construction of circular excavated earth tank dams, with pipe inlets. Construction techniques tend to evolve over time, so the methods described in this publication will not be definitive, but, they may improve efficiency ... Read more
An assessment of the efficacy of deep drains constructed in the wheatbelt of Western Australia Part 1 A discussion on drainage implmentation in the wheatbelt : a case study review, summary, conclusions and recommendations

N A. Coles, Richard J. George Dr, and A D. Bathgate

Australia has undertaken a strategic review of current and historical deep drainage projects. A 'rapid appraisal' methodology was utilised, based principally on existing hydrological investigations and interpretation and anecdotal evidence provided by landholders to clarify the role of drainage in managing water in dry land ... Read more