Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Ecological Sustainability For Pastoral Management, Hugh Pringle, Ken Tinley

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

Pastoralists and rangeland bureaucracies are now required to operate within the limits of ecological sustainability. However, while the concept of ecological sustainability has been enshrined in law and policy at State and Commonwealth levels in Australia, there has been little translation into pastoral management objectives. The introduction of the 'EMU (Ecosystem Management Unit) process', as an equal partnership between ecologists and pastoralists, promises to bring pastoralists into close dialogue with the landscapes they manage on their stations, and to acknowledge and manage for values other than pasture production. In doing so, pastoralists are likely to increase production, reduce costs, and …

Clearing The Air, Mike Carroll

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

This edition of the Western Australian Journal of Agriculture contains an exchange of letters between 20 farmers and myself, prompted by the article by Ross Kingwell in the last issue of the Journal (Volume 34, No. 4, 1993).

The article was entitled 'Agriculture's Economic Performance', and dealt with some of the economic forces in agriculture, including the terms of trade, productivity growth and the growth of exports. However, it is evident from the following letter and from other comments that the worthwhile content of the article was negated by some unfortunate phrasing, and a too compressed treatment of a complex …

Agriculture's Economic Performance, Ross Kingwell

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

Changes within and outside of agriculture have affected the nature and econoicperforrmance of the industry. Some clear trends have emerged and they are discussed here.

As Australian economy grows and increasingly diversifies, agriculture will become a less important sector.

However, as long as agriculture fulfils its economic role, it will support and promote economic development elsewhere in the country.

Changes In The Western Australian Dairy Farm Industry, Ross Kingwell, Graham Annan

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

Over the past decade, the number of dairy cows and the number of producers in the Western Australian dairy industry have steadily declined. The industry still relies heavily on market milk quotas for its profits, but recent export contracts have boosted profits from manufacturing milk production.

Market milk quotas remain unevenly distributed across the dairy regions and amongst quotaholders, although the regional distribution of quotas is changing.

The Agricultural Implications Of Europe 1992, Ross Kingwell

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

Most farmers know only too well that the policies of national and international governments affect the prices they receive for their produce. The Europe 1992 policy is a new policy with potential to benefit Australian agriculture. The Europe 1992 policy is a set of policy initiatives being adopted by member countries of the European Economic Community (EC). The 1992 policy aims to create a barrier-free internal market among EC members by the end of 1992. All impediments to trade within the EC are to be dismantled. The Europe 1992 policy is already causing change in many European markets and is …

The Rural Innovation Centre Helps People With Ideas, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

No abstract provided.

The Extension Programme, W K. Russell, G. K. Palmer

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

From the start of the Peel-harvey study in 1976, scientific research and extension have been closely linked. Trials, some involving major drainage works, have been set up on about 30 farms and several field days and seminars have been held.

The Peel-Harvey Study Group anticipates that farmer acceptance of the Department of agriculture's recommendations will reduce the phosphorus input to the estuary by 30 to 40 per cent over the next three to five years. At the same time farmers will benefit from modified cultural practices better suited to the sandy soils of the coastal plain.

There's Little To Choose Between Scarifier Points, C R. Lester

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

Tests on scarifier points showed that methods of treating them to prolong their life had little effect.

Farm Population And Land Development In Western Australia, J S. Nalson, A. W. Hodgstrom

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

In a recent survey of farms and unallocated land throughout the State the authors looked at the area of land suitable for farming in Western Australia and the number of people available to farm the land in the next 10 to 15 years.

A brief outline of the results of this study and some implications of these results are given in this article.