Life Sciences Commons^™

Western Australia’S Primary Industries: 2021-22 Economic Overview, D. Maharjan, S. Akbari, A.K. Abadi Ghadim, P. Mattingley, I. Wilkinson, J. Tan, J. Van Staden, M. Radhakrishnan

All other publications

The Western Australia’s Primary Industries: 2021-22 Economic Overview (WAPIEO) is developed by DPIRD in partnership with the Forest Products Commission.

The WAPIEO has a trade focus and provides a single source for consistent statistics and insights on observed industry trends.

Director General Statement

Western Australia’s primary industries sector is a significant contributor to the state’s economic diversification. Supported by strong international trading relationships, it is also a major export industry with around 60% of our agriculture, fisheries, forestry and food production exported to over 150 international markets.

The agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries are also significant contributors to our economy, …

Skeleton Weed In Western Australia: Control Program 2023–2024, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity bulletins

Skeleton weed can reduce crop yields by competing for moisture and nutrients (mainly nitrogen). This guide helps you manage and eradicate skeleton weed infestations on your property, and helps to stop the spread across WA. Without the coordinated program aimed at controlling the spread, skeleton weed would now be much more abundant and widely established throughout cereal growing areas.

Skeleton Weed In Western Australia: Management Guide, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity bulletins

Skeleton weed can reduce crop yields by competing for moisture and nutrients (mainly nitrogen). This guide helps you manage and eradicate skeleton weed infestations on your property, and helps to stop the spread across WA.

Without the coordinated program aimed at controlling the spread, skeleton weed would now be much more abundant and widely established throughout cereal growing areas.

Industry Funding Scheme (grains, seeds and hay)

The Grains, Seeds and Hay Industry Funding Scheme is overseen by a seven-member Industry Management Committee. These 2 groups are comprised of producers and others with an interest in the industry. They meet in …

Pasture Condition Guides For The Southern Rangelands, Including The Gascoyne, Murchison And Goldfields-Nullarbor, Peter-Jon A. Waddell, Philip We Thomas, Wayne J. Fletcher, Kath Ryan, Joshua E. Foster, John K. Stretch, Jim S. Addison

Bulletins 4000 -

These guides address a recognised gap in readily applicable and easily accessible information on southern rangelands pasture condition and management.

These guides provide descriptions and images for southern rangelands pastures with similar management requirements for the grazing of native pastures by livestock. Therefore, the focus is on palatability of vegetation to livestock, and the effects of livestock management and external factors on the condition of the vegetation and soils.

The first section provides an overview and map, introduces concepts and terms important to understanding arid shrubland management in general, these guides in particular; and includes an economic analysis of the …

Oestrogenic Subterranean Clover Guide. Identification And Remediation, Kevin J. Foster, Megan H. Ryan, Daniel R. Kidd

Bulletins 4000 -

Subterranean clover (subclover, Trifolium subterraneum L.) is an annual pasture legume that provides high quality feed for livestock. It is estimated to be sown over 30 million hectares across southern Australia, with cultivars developed for the low, medium and high rainfall zones. Unfortunately, some older cultivars contain high levels of phytoestrogen which can affect the reproductive system of sheep and cause other health issues. This became a significant issue for sheep producers from the 1940s as new land was cleared and sheep grazed subclover-dominant pastures. There was a collection of livestock issues observed and these were grouped together under the …

Rural Business Development Corporation Annual Report 2022, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

All other publications

In accordance with section 63 of the Financial Management Act 2006, we hereby submit for your information and presentation to Parliament, the annual report of the Rural Business Development Corporation for the reporting period ended 30 June 2023.

The annual report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions of the Financial Management Act 2006 and the Rural Business Development Corporation Act 2000.

A Review Of The Economics Of Regenerative Agriculture In Western Australia, Anne Bennett

All other publications

• There is no published work detailing the economics of regenerative agriculture in Western Australia.
• Of the work completed in other jurisdictions and nations captured in this review, the profitability of regenerative agriculture compared with conventional agriculture was variable, although generally lower.
• The loss of income associated with the transition from conventional agriculture to regenerative agriculture is a significant barrier to adoption, although it is enterprise-sensitive.
• Farmers who are operating regenerative agriculture systems self-report higher levels of wellbeing.
• Conventional agriculture and regenerative agriculture are overlapping approaches.
• The literature presented in this review is mostly based on small samples, case studies or …

Mosaic Agriculture: A Guide To Irrigated Crop And Forage Production In Northern Wa, Geoff A. Moore Mr, Clinton K. Revell Dr, Christopher Schelfhout Dr, Christopher Ham Mr, Samuel Crouch Mr

Bulletins 4000 -

The Bulletin is a comprehensive guide for pastoralists, agronomists, agribusiness and the broader community on the growing of irrigated crops and pastures within a rangeland pastoral setting.

Dispersed irrigation developments on stations throughout the northern rangelands (sometimes referred to as mosaic agriculture) has created opportunities for the introduction of more productive forage species and pastoralists can now grow high quality forage for 12 months of the year. This can help to overcome the key constraint of traditional pastoral systems, the low quality of the feed over the dry season that typically results in stock losing condition.

Rural Business Development Corporation Annual Report 2021, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

All other publications

No abstract provided.

Rural Business Development Corporation Annual Report 2020, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

All other publications

I

n accordance with section 63 of the Financial Management Act 2006, we hereby submit for your information and presentation to Parliament, the annual report of the Rural Business Development Corporation for the reporting period ended 30 June 2020.

The annual report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions of the Financial Management Act 2006 and the Rural Business Development Corporation Act 2000.

Rural Business Development Corporation Annual Report 2019, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

All other publications

In accordance with section 63 of the Financial Management Act 2006, we hereby submit for your information and presentation to Parliament, the annual report of the Rural Business Development Corporation for the reporting period ended 30 June 2019.

The annual report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions of the Financial Management Act 2006 and the Rural Business Development Corporation Act 2000.

Rural Business Development Corporation Annual Report 2018, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

All other publications

In accordance with section 63 of the Financial Management Act 2006, we hereby submit for your information and presentation to Parliament, the annual report of the Rural Business Development Corporation for the reporting period ended 30 June 2018.

The annual report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions of the Financial Management Act 2006 and the Rural Business Development Corporation Act 2000.

Improving Subtropical Grass Pastures On The South Coast Of Western Australia, Paul Sanford, Ron Master, Eric Dobbe

Bulletins 4000 -

This bulletin reports on the findings of a research project funded by DPIRD and MLA that investigated methods to improve legume content and increase production of both kikuyuand panic-based pastures on the south coast of WA.

Bioenergy And Carbon Farming Opportunities In The Pilbara, Robert Sudmeyer, Kim Brooksbank, David Rogers

Bulletins 4000 -

The Pilbara region covers 270 000 square kilometres of north-west Western Australia. Its main agricultural land use is pastoralism, with beef cattle grazing native pastures. Currently, only 24km² is under irrigation, with irrigated fodder the principal crop, but this could expand to 100km². This expansion has the potential to significantly broaden the economic base of the Pilbara.

Irrigation and the opportunities for changing land use and management may facilitate greater participation in the carbon economy by Pilbara land managers. Bioenergy feedstocks could be sourced from purpose-grown crops or agricultural wastes. Carbon farming activities may be facilitated by …

Fresh Thinking 2013-2050, Victor Fazakerley, David Windsor

All other publications

The purpose of this report is to: • provide information on current production of a key group of fruit and vegetables grown in Western Australia and the amounts consumed, some of which are imported; • estimate how much of these fresh fruit and vegetables will be required to meet WA’s demand in 2025 and 2050; • estimate the water and land resource required to grow these fruit and vegetables under current production systems and project the demand for these resources to 2025 and 2050; and • consider the competitiveness of various fruit and vegetable industries and their capacity to meet …

Final Evaluation Of The North East Agricultural Region (Near) Strategy, Andrew Blake, Don Burnside, Vicki Williams

All other publications

No abstract provided.

Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Meredith Fairbanks, David Bowran, Geraldine Pasqual

Bulletins 4000 -

Agriculture contributes 15.5 per cent of Australia’s emissions (Figure 1), largely due to methane, from ruminant livestock digestion, nitrous oxide from soils and carbon dioxide from fossil fuel use (Australian National Greenhouse Accounts 2011; ABARES 2011).

This bulletin identifies current ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Australian agriculture.

Greener Pastures 4 - Managing Potassium In Dairy Pastures, Mike Bolland, Ian Guthridge, Bill Russell, Martin Staines, John Lucey, Richard Morris

Bulletins 4000 -

We undertook three studies into the potassium requirements of high rainfall pastures: 1. Between 1999 and 2009, soil testing was conducted in 48 dairy paddocks at Vasse Research Centre (VRC) in the south-west of Western Australia (WA). This study will be referred to as the VRC soil test study.

2. Between 2002 and 2007, a potassium experiment was undertaken at Boyanup to improve our knowledge of potassium requirements of intensively grazed ryegrass pastures. This will be referred to as the Boyanup potassium experiment.

3. Between 2006 and 2010, potassium experiments were undertaken on two partner farms of the Greener Pastures …

Greener Pastures 6 - Managing Soil Acidity In Dairy Pastures, Mike Bolland, Bill Russell, Martin Staines, Richard Morris, John Lucey, D L. Bennett

Bulletins 4000 -

During 1999-2009, soil testing for pH (in CaCl2) was used to determine lime application for 48 paddocks at the Vasse Research Centre at Busselton, in the south-west of Western Australia (WA).

Paddocks had been grazed intensively by dairy cows and their young stock over a period of 10 years, as part of the Vasse Milk Farmlets and Greener Pastures farming system projects. Pasture consisted of annual ryegrasses with some subterranean clover. Soils in the 48 paddocks were 1-2 m sand to sandy loam over massive clay, known locally as Abba sand.

For many soils in the region, including Abba sands, …

Greener Pastures 5 - Managing Sulphur In Dairy Pastures, Mike Bolland, Ian Guthridge, Bill Russell, Martin Staines, John Lucey, Richard Morris

Bulletins 4000 -

During 1999-2009, soil testing for sulfur (S) was undertaken on 48 paddocks at the Vasse Research Centre (VRC) at Busselton, in the south-west of Western Australia (WA).

Paddocks had been grazed intensively by dairy cows and their young stock over a period of 10 years, as part of the Vasse Milk Farmlets and Greener Pastures farming system projects. Pasture consisted of annual ryegrasses with some subterranean clover. Soils in the 48 paddocks were 1-2 m sand to sandy loam over massive clay, known locally as Abba sand. For many soils in the region, including Abba sands, the topography is flat …

Greener Pastures 2 - Nitrogen For Intensively Grazed Dairy Pastures, Martin Staines, Richard Morris, Tess Casson, Mike Bolland, Bill Russell, Ian Guthridge, John Lucey, Don Bennett

Bulletins 4000 -

We undertook three main studies during the Greener Pastures project:

1. From mid 2005 to late 2008, a farming systems study was undertaken with five rates of nitrogen fertiliser as the main treatment. This study will be referred to as the ‘nitrogen response farmlets’.

2. From 2006 to 2008 a series of smaller ‘supporting’ studies were completed to investigate how grazing management influences the pasture production gains from nitrogen fertiliser. This will be referred to as the ‘nitrogen by growth-stage study’.

3. From early 2009 to early 2010, a farming systems study was undertaken to investigate the potential to increase …

Greener Pastures 1 - The Greener Pasture Project: Managing Nutrients In Dairy Pastures, John Lucey, Mike Bolland, Don Bennett, Richard Morris, Bill Russell, Martin Staines

Bulletins 4000 -

As dairy farmers have strived to maintain profitability, many have farmed more intensively. More cows are milked and increasing inputs of fertiliser and purchased feed are used per hectare. However, these increased nutrient inputs have far exceeded the increase in nutrient output in milk production. The increasing nutrient surplus (inputs minus outputs) from intensification on dairy farms has met with increasing community concern about the environmental footprint of the dairy industry. In some other countries, dairy farmers who have intensified by increasing nitrogen inputs are now faced with legislation controlling the amount of fertiliser nitrogen that they can use.

The …

Horse Alert Wa, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

All other publications

Increasing awareness of emergency horse diseases, their management in Western Australia and practical strategies to minimise the risk of spreading disease. Horse Alert WA has been developed to help participants in the racing, sporting and recreational sectors of the horse industry in Western Australia to prepare for, recognise and respond effectively to an emergency disease that affects horses, such as the equine influenza outbreak in Australia in 2007. This manual provides biosecurity information to minimise the risks of a horse disease establishing and spreading in Western Australia, and guidance on the actions to take if an emergency disease occurs. Some …

Greener Pastures 7 - A Fresh Look At Nutrient Losses From Intensively Managed Pastures, Don Bennett, Bill Russell, Martin Staines, Richard Morris, Mike Bolland, John Lucey

Bulletins 4000 -

Dairy farmers in Western Australia have a long history of being concerned for the environment in which they live and work, from early involvement with Landcare District Committees through to participating in the various programs run in DairyCatch.

They have planted trees, organised soil testing programs, carried out salinity surveys and, more recently, have signed up for effluent, nutrient and irrigation water management programs. Many of these programs produce benefits both on and off the farm—they can improve the farm environment, increase farm productivity and reduce nutrient losses to surface and ground water. The wider community has supported farmers with …

Growing Biserrula To Improve Grain And Livestock Production, Angelo Loi, Natalie Hogg, Clinton Revell, Diana Fedorenko

Bulletins 4000 -

Biserrula pelecinus is a new genus of pasture legume which was developed for commercial agriculture by a team of Perth-based legume pasture scientists in the early 1990s. Biserrula is an annual pasture legume that is found in natural grasslands of the Mediterranean Basin, frequently on acidic soils derived from granite. It was this feature that first caught the eye of researchers who were attempting to develop species that could tolerate the soil stresses of acidity and low moisture-holding capacity. These stresses are common in WA and when they occur together they are problematical for the survival of annual medics and …

Framework For Developing Climate Change Adaptation Strategies And Action Plans For Agriculture In Western Australia, Damien Hills, Anne Bennett

All other publications

The Framework aims to assist users to design a process which will allow them to prepare a Climate Change Adaptation Response Strategy or Action Plan. This is done by offering a choice of methodologies, allowing users to map out a process that suits their needs.

Carbon Capture Project, Final Report. An Evaluation Of The Opportunity And Risks Of Carbon Offset Based Enterprises In The Kimberley-Pilbara Region Of Western Australia, Mark Alchin, Elizabeth Tierney, Chris Chilcott

Bulletins 4000 -

Commercialisation of carbon in the Australian Rangelands could lead to the development of a multi-billion dollar industry, and Western Australia has the potential to capture a significant share of this revenue. A significant proportion of the WA Rangelands is degraded which is the legacy of the exploitative practices of historical pastoral development and the mining industry. Full environmental restoration of these areas is well beyond the fiscal capacity of land managers and the WA State Government. Carbon based enterprises have the potential to restore large tracts of degraded land in a cost-effective manner and can deliver a number of other …

Management Of Merino Weaners For Optimum Production, Patricia Harper, Keith Croker, Danny Roberts

Bulletins 4000 -

Sheep mortality during the first year of life is a large problem on many farms and poses a significant animal welfare issue for Australian agriculture. Post weaning mortality is estimated to cost the Australian sheep industry more than $89 million annually through reduced income, poor productivity and increased management expenses (Sackett et al. 2006).

A high mortality rate among weaners reduces the number of surplus animals available for sale and the number of potential breeding replacements. This, in turn, affects the selection intensity for desirable traits and the flock’s rate of genetic improvement.

Ill thrift and poor growth of weaner …

Getting Into Sheep An Introductory Guide To Sheep Management, Keith Croker, Roy Butler

Bulletins 4000 -

Sheep husbandry can be an interesting and rewarding activity but before starting to work with or buy sheep ask yourself if you are prepared to spend the time and effort to care for them.

Sheep cannot be placed in a paddock and forgotten. The sheep, along with their water, feed and fences must be inspected regularly. If you do not live on the farm, or visit it only infrequently, make sure there is a responsible person available who is willing to inspect and manage the sheep on your behalf.

Lime For High Rainfall Pastures: Above 800mm Average Annual Rainfall, Mike Bolland, Bill Russell

Bulletins 4000 -

Conventional agriculture acidifies soil. As your soil becomes more acid, productive pasture species disappear and are replaced by species of low agricultural value. It is a waste of money to apply expensive fertiliser to pastures which are inherently poorly productive because they are growing in an acid soil.

The paper examines the types of lime available, how to select lime for quality and when and how much lime to apply. Maganese toxity and aluminum toxicity are examine, how to test your soil, and affect of soil acidity on bacteria and other microorgansims.