Works in this collection were published by the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia. The DAFWA library is gradually scanning and adding electronic copies to this collection, starting with the more recent material. However, reader requests to have electronic copies added will receive priority. Requests may be emailed to the DAFWA Library
For further information go to our department's website.
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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
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Guidelines for the management of microbial food safety in fruit packing houses
Tony Portman, Elizabeth Frankish, and Graham McAlpine
The fresh produce industry has undergone significant change in recent years in the application of quality assurance to business operations. The quality assurance schemes implemented such as the SQFCM programs, have generally served to provide a focus on food quality and operational issues, as well ... Read more
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Maximising the lamb drop
Don Moir
Although reproductive rates vary greatly between individual properties, the average marking percentage in Western Australia still hovers around 75%. In the absence of disease it is possible to improve on this figure by undertaking some straight forward management practices at different stages of the reproductive ... Read more
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Organic beef a production guide
Steven McCoy
Premium markets are expanding worldwide for certified organic and biodynamic beef products – those grown in accordance with recognised organic production and processing standards.
Many agricultural areas in Australia have the potential to produce organic beef, and several Western Australian and Eastern States organic producers ... Read more
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Organic wheat : a production guide
Steven McCoy
Many people believe that organic agriculture systems can only work in high rainfall regions. However, some of Australia’s most successful organic farmers are the experienced organic wheatbelt growers who produce cereal, pulse and oilseed crops in different regions and soil types across the country.
Wheat ... Read more
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Total grazing management field guide self-mustering systems for cattle, sheep and goats
C Underwood
Total grazing management (TGM) systems were designed to assist producers in the Western Australian rangelands to improve station productivity.TGM systems can increase the profits of pastoral properties by improving management control over grazing animals and by decreasing operating costs.
Over 1000 TGM yards have been ... Read more
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Western Australia soil acidity research and development update 2002 : time to lime
Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia
The Soil Acidity Research, Development and Extension Project has produced a summary of the activities, research results and recommendations each year and this book is the last in a series of seven.
The Department of Agriculture Western Australia, The University of Western Australia and CSIRO ... Read more
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Wool desk report
Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia
This issue of Wool Desk report contains the results of the March 2002 Western Australian Wool Production Survey, and an experimental series of monthly forecasts of average fibre diameters and staple lengths for the Western Australian clip. It is anticipated that this information will supplement ... Read more
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African black beetle in vineyards
Diana Fisher and Stewart Learmonth
The African black beetle, Heteronychus arator, is an important pest of horticultural crops, ornamentals and pastures in Western Australia. They also attack lawns and are commonly referred to as the black lawn beetle. This beetle was first recorded in Australia during the 1920s and originates ... Read more
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Avocado culture in Western Australia
Alec McCarthy
The avocado is a large evergreen tree of sub-tropical origin. The fruit are high in protein, fats (mono and polyunsaturated), several minerals and vitamins. The Guinness Book of Records lists the avocado as the most nutritious fruit in the world. It is suitable for infants ... Read more
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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.
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Irrigation of olives in Western Australia
Neil Lantzke and Dick Taylor
Olives can be grown without irrigation in the south-west of Western Australia. However, to obtain maximum yield irrigation is required. The yields obtained from unirrigated crops may be half those of irrigated crops, with the actual yield decrease being dependent on the rainfall and length ... Read more
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Organic grapes and wine : a guide to production
Gerry Parlevliet and Steven McCoy
The tastebuds, health concerns and environmental conscience of affluent consumers are demanding more organically grown food than producers worldwide can supply. Growing consumer concerns about the effects of synthetic chemical pesticides and fertilisers on human health and the environment have boosted world trade in organic ... Read more
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Organic vegetables : a guide to production
Steven McCoy
There appears to be considerable opportunity for the development of organic vegetable production in Western Australia for either fresh or processed product. While a number of growers are successfully producing relatively small quantities of organic vegetables for both domestic and export markets, few large scale ... Read more
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Paterson's Curse management handbook
Amelia McLarty, Errol Kruger, Peter Stubbs, John Peirce, Chris Hawkins, Paul Wilson, and Simon Merewether
Paterson’s curse (Echium plantagineum) is one of the most damaging weeds to the Australian meat and wool industries. It infests an estimated 33 million hectares in southern Australia, at an annual cost to the sheep industry of $250 million in lost pasture productivity, control costs ... Read more
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Profitable canola production in the great southern and lakes district
Paul Carmody and Ashley Herbert
The Canola industry has rapidly grown with a 10 fold increase in area sown in Western Australia over the four years from 1996-99.
The driving force behind this increase in area can be attributed to the successful adoption of weed control technology in Triazine Tolerant ... Read more
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Profitable canola production in the northern grainbelt of Western Australia 2001
Paul Carmody and Adrian Cox
Canola is a member of the Brassicaceae family that also includes mustard, turnip, wild radish, cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli.
It is a winter growing oilseed that can be produced in most arable areas of Australia where winter crops are currently grown. Originally known as rapeseed ... Read more
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Scott coastal plain a strategy for a sustainable future
Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia
The Scott Coastal Plain has significant attributes that make it an area of State and regional significance for agricultural production. The climate, availability of good quality groundwater for irrigation, and large lot sizes provide opportunities for mechanised horticultural production which other parts of the State ... Read more
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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The fight against fruit flies in Western Australia
Andy Sproule, Sonya Broughton, Francis De Lima, Darryl Hardie, Nic Monzu, and Bill Woods
Western Australia’s horticulture industry is one of the State’s growing success stories, from mangoes at Kununurra to cherries at Mt Barker. The prospects are bright, especially in export markets where ‘clean and green’ produce from Western Australia is truly valued.
One blight on this ‘clean ... Read more
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The Good food guide for sheep : feeding sheep for meat production in the areas of Western Australia
Keith Croker; Peter Watt; and Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia
The Good Food Guide for Sheep has been produced to provide Western Australian farmers with a concise compilation of current information on feeding sheep for meat production. Although there are already numerous publications about sheep nutrition,many of them relate to wool production, reproduction or drought ... Read more
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Weed plan for Western Australia
State Weed Plan Steering Group, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia
One of the most significant environmental challenges facing Western Australia is the minimisation of the impact of weeds. In the relatively short history of this State since European settlement, some 1155 exotic plant species have established as weeds in our diverse and generally fragile ecosystems. ... Read more