Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia
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Joining - setting the potential of your ewe flock
No full textJoining is the time when the potential lambing of your flock is set, so make the most of it.
Preparation of ewes and rams for joining should start 8 weeks prior to joining for the greatest benefit.
Key tactical decisions around ewe and ram health and nutrition should be made prior to joining. This should ideally start 8 weeks before joining as the impact of nutrition, shearing and teasing take time to influence joining success.
The majority of the ewes in Western Australia are seasonal breeders. The spontaneous cycling in Merinos and breeds such as Poll Dorset are least affected by day length. Breeds such as Border Leicesters and other British breeds are most affected by day length
Breakout - Discover Food Technology
No full textThe Sustainable Innovative Food Technology (SIFT) Centre at the Food Industry Precinct of Western Australia (FIPWA) is the newest gateway to innovation in Western Australia’s food production value chain. At the core of SIFT’s mission is a commitment to fostering sustainable growth and innovation within the food and beverage sector. Come along to this workshop to discover how you can use this resource for the next stage of innovation in your business.
During the session, we\u27ll also explore machinery and technology that can help business owners increase productivity, profitability, and reduce labor. SIFT ties in really well given things like shelf life extension from HPP/Retort can add to profitability, and other equipment in SIFT, such as process flow improvement and manufacturing methods, can further enhance efficiency and effectiveness. We\u27ll delve into equipment options, including what’s available and proven elsewhere, what’s emerging, and touch on the costs associated with installing the equipment and whether finance is available, etc.
Speakers Stuart Johnson, SIFT / Murdoch University, Managing Director Andrew Tilley, Murdoch University, Associate Lecturer / PhD Candidate Gavin Monery, DPIRD, Project Manager Andrea Romeo, Mondo Nougat, General Manager Felipe Barria, DPIRD, Project Office
Breakout - Sustainable Packaging: The balance between 2025 & 2030 Targets
No full textThis session will bring together four experts that come from fibre and renewables, active & intelligent packaging, Single Use Packaging regulations, Save Food Packaging Design and Sustainable Packaging Design. Together they will discuss how to navigate the food waste and packaging waste paradox and how to design the optimum packaging with the lowest environmental impacts without unintended consequences.
Speakers Nerida Kelton, AIP David Kilpatrick, Zipform Michael Dossor, Result Group, Managing Director Bonnie Marshall, National Retail Association, Communications Manager, Policy tea
Exact testing for heteroscedasticity in a two-way layout in variety frost trials when incorporating a covariate
No full textTwo-way layouts are common in grain industry research where it is often the case that there are one or more covariates. It is widely recognised that when estimating fixed effect parameters, one should also examine for possible extra error variance structure. An exact test for heteroscedasticity, when there is a covariate, is illustrated for a data set from frost trials in Western Australia. While the general algebra for the test is known, albeit in past literature, there are computational aspects of implementing the test for the two way when there are covariates. In this scenario the test is shown to have greater power than the industry standard, and because of its exact size, is preferable to use of the restricted maximum likelihood ratio test (REMLRT) based on the approximate asymptotic distribution in this instance. Formulation of the exact test considered here involves creation of appropriate contrasts in the experimental design. This is illustrated using specific choices of observations corresponding to an index set in the linear model for the two-way layout. Also an algorithm supplied complements the test. Comparisons of size and power then ensue. The test has natural extensions when there are unbalanced data, and more than one covariate may be present. Results can be extended to Balanced Incomplete Block Designs
Cattle industry funding scheme annual report 2022/2023
No full textIn June 2010 the Cattle Industry Funding Scheme (IFS) was introduced to address biosecurity threats relevant to the Western Australian (WA) cattle industry. The Scheme was established under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 to enable cattle producers to identify the pest and disease priorities at a whole-of-industry level and to raise funds for activities to address these priorities.
There are currently three Industry Funding Schemes in operation. In addition to the Cattle IFS, there is a Sheep and Goat IFS and a Grains, Seeds and Hay IFS. The three IFSs operate in a similar manner.
The purpose of the Cattle IFS is to facilitate improvements in the biosecurity, productivity and viability of the WA cattle industry, enabling WA to maintain its international recognition for excellent cattle disease status and product integrity
Agave tequilana - environmental weed risk assessment 2024
No full textIntroducing new plants to an area may have both positive and negative effects on the environment, economy and community. To minimise the negative environmental impact of introducing new agricultural species, DPIRD conducts a risk assessment procedure based on widely accepted scientific standards. This report assesses Agave tequilana. Agave tequilana, commonly called blue agave or tequila agave, is a succulent native to the states of Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit and Aguascalientes in Mexico. In its native range lue tequila predominantly grows at high altitudes ( \u3e 1,500m) on iron-rich, fertile soils of volcanic origin (Chambers and Holtum 2010). The ‘Jalisco’ region where A. tequilana has traditionally been grown has a distinctive wet (summer) and dry season (winter) with average annual rainfall of 800-900mm. Growing at high altitudes the night temperatures are usually markedly lower (10°C) than day temperatures
Kimberley Development Commission
No full textKimberley Development Commission boundaryhttps://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/gis_maps/1046/thumbnail.jp
Goldfields-Esperance Development Commission
No full textGoldfields-Esperance Development Commission boundaryhttps://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/gis_maps/1044/thumbnail.jp
Liming acidic soils creates profits, land use options but often more emissions
No full textContext
Soil acidity constrains crop production in Australia. The practice of liming can reduce soil acidity but produces greenhouse gas emissions.
Aims
By examining land use sequences over three decades at a range of locations in Western Australia, this study aims to identify firstly where and when liming might boost farm profits and secondly, what emissions and land use management flexibilities are generated by liming.
Methods
Bioeconomic simulation modelling is used to identify the gross margins and emissions associated with liming in land use sequences at 14 locations in Western Australia. Three intensities of cropping and three different rotational sequences are considered. The simulations account for price and weather–year variations across a 30-year period of analysis.
Key results
Liming is profitable at almost all locations and across all rotation sequences examined. Where problematic soil acidity is a feature or is poised to soon become a problem at a location, liming is a profitable ameliorative practice that enables greater diversity in land use. For most situations assessed, liming increases emissions. The exceptions are at locations where liming prevents a switch away from a crop-dominant system, due to soil acidity reducing crop yields, into additional sheep production that increases emissions.
Conclusions
Liming is profitable in most acidic soil situations and preserves land use flexibility, although additional greenhouse gas emissions are often generated.
Implications
Liming acidic soils bolsters land use profitability and helps sustain biologically diverse land use sequences, despite often increasing greenhouse gas emissions
An annotated checklist with a key to the genera of Australian psyllids (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Psylloidea)
No full textThe diversity of the psyllids of Australia reflects that of the plants of this country, with large radiations and ecological dominance of Myrtaceae (e.g., Eucalyptus), Fabaceae (e.g., Acacia), Casuarinaceae (e.g., Allocasuarina, Casuarina) and Scrophulariaceae (e.g., Eremophila, Myoporum). Within Australian ecosystems, psyllids are critical components of food webs, especially with respect to providing energy-rich resources for many species of birds and insects and, historically, humans. Furthermore, in horticulture, agriculture and forestry, some Australian psyllid species are considered pests, causing leaf senescence and ‘dieback’, leaf deformation and inducing growth of sooty mould, with some adventive species capable of acting as vectors of plant pathogens. Several species are considered beneficial, having been introduced as biological control agents of weeds. Additionally, some Australian psyllids have established in other countries, or in regions within Australia that are not within their natural range; while others have such limited geographical ranges that they are of conservation concern. Here we provide an updated checklist of the species of Psylloidea present in Australia and updated a previous key to their genera based on adult morphology. This is the first checklist of the Australian psyllids compiled since the most recent global taxonomic classification, and provides detailed information on biogeographical, ecological and anthropogenic aspects, including global distribution, host plant data, pest status, conservation status, parasitoids, predators, and biological control programs. Our checklist includes information on 66 genera and 450 species, 414 formally described and 36 awaiting descriptions. This represents an increase of almost 20% of species since the last published checklist of 2004, which reported 354 described and 21 undescribed taxa. Additionally, we summarise the available information on more than 150 undescribed taxa. Finally, we reported here more than 60 new records, between distributions and host plant associations