Life Sciences Commons^™

Rural Depopulation In Western Australia, Ross Kingwell

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Western Australia's population has recently drifted from inland rural areas to cities and coastal regions. Changes in fanning practices over several decades and the recent falls in wheat and wool prices, have forced many families to leave inland farms and rural towns .

However, many families are also developing sources of off-farm income and other activities to keep themselves, local businesses and towns suroiving.

Paddock Sampling For Management Of Annual Ryegrass Toxicity, Ian Riley

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidumJ seedheads containing corynetoxins, a group of bacterially produced antibiotics, are poisonous to livestock. Animals that eat affected ryegrass develop annual ryegrass toxicity (ARGT), suffer convulsive staggers and die within a few days of eating a lethal dose. ARGT is characterised by high death rates, especially where pastures are not known to be affected and where stock-owners are not expecting the problem. Fortunately, there are commercial tests that determine the levels of ARGT organisms in the paddock and the risk of getting the disease. These tests will help farmers plan their cropping and pasture programs for the …