Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia
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Rabbit control: bait products
No full textThis factsheet is part of the bait and poison directory for vertebrate pests in Western Australia (WA). It provides information on bait, poison, and toxin (bait) products available for use in WA to control rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus).
For information on how to access bait, poison and toxin (bait) products, training required, animal welfare considerations and legal requirements, refer to the Bait and poison directory for vertebrate pests’ page on the website at dpird.wa.gov.au. Information on bait, poison, and toxin (bait) products available for use in WA for rabbits, is provided below
Rabbit fencing to protect crops and pastures
No full textThis factsheet outlines the use of fencing to protect crops and pasture from rabbits.
Rabbits cause an estimated loss of $217 million each year to Australian agricultural production and cause significant environmental damage. In Western Australia (WA), areas of native vegetation, particularly on sandy ridges that would otherwise be subject to wind erosion, have been retained on farms. Bush remnants are a major refuge habitat for rabbits, which can cause considerable damage to nearby pastures and crops. A measure of rabbit control can be achieved by poisoning around bush remnants in late summer or autumn, prior to seeding. To be effective, this approach usually needs to be repeated annually. Rabbit densities and resulting crop and pasture losses can still be unacceptably high unless any remaining rabbits are removed. Clearing bush remnants to eradicate the resident rabbit populations is not an acceptable option and clearing permits are required before native vegetation can be destroyed. Bush remnants have intrinsic conservation value, and some are located along protected road reserve
Evaluation of dual purpose canola and cereals grazed with cattle
No full textThe Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development conducted research to investigate and demonstrate the importance of dual-purpose crops (canola, wheat and barley) to improve the feed availability for cattle (in late autumn to early winter) in mixed farming systems of the high rainfall environment of Western Australia (WA).
The grain yield of a wide range of canola and cereal varieties sown in mid-April were unaffected by the grazing of cattle at a stocking rate of 20 to 22 dry sheep equivalent (DSE) per hectare (ha) for up to 4 weeks at Esperance in 2011.
The grazed crops yielded the same as ungrazed crops sown at currently recommended times
Guide to supplementary feeding and budgeting
No full textSupplementary feeding of sheep, with grain, hay or silage is necessary when pastures or stubbles are deficient in energy and protein.
A good supplementary feeding program will ensure sheep utilise as much dry paddock feed as possible as well as provide sufficient supplementary feed for maintenance or growth.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development recommends supplementary or confined paddock feeding to maintain livestock productivity and avoid animal welfare and soil erosion problems
The impact of repayment obligations arising as a by-product of input use on partial inefficiency: Evidence from Western Australian farm businesses
No full textFarm businesses often use debt to finance the purchase inputs and meet operational costs. Selected studies have investigated the impact of debt use on farm performance as measured using technical efficiency. However, no prior studies in agriculture have considered treating the debt repayment obligation created as a by-product of production when benchmarking farm performance. This study employs nonparametric directional distance function models to quantify the impact of debt repayment as a by-product of input use purchased on credit on farm-level partial inefficiency using a panel data of 54 mixed enterprise broadacre farms in Western Australia from 2002 to 2011. The study finds that omitting repayment obligations created in the production process in analysis results in underestimating partial inefficiency scores. Farm size, production diversification and rainfall zone are significant drivers of partial inefficiency. The implication of the study\u27s findings is that failure to account for repayment obligations created in the production process may result in erroneous policy suggestions that undermine the efforts of farm businesses to minimise or avoid financial stress
Pasture data reconciliation of the South West Agricultural Zone of Western Australia September 2024
No full textWestern Australia’s (WA) agricultural land use system features extensive pasture land vital for grazing sheep and cattle. Most pastures in the south west of Western Australia consist of annual species that grow during the cool, wet winters of the Mediterranean climate and senesce in the warm to hot, dry summers. Understanding the spatial distribution of pasture areas within the context of mixed farming is essential for developing effective land management strategies to enhance livestock production and profitability through balanced pasture supply and demand.
This report focuses on reconciling pasture area data for the south-west of Western Australia’s agricultural zone across 75 Local Government Areas (LGAs) or shires, spanning from north of Geraldton to Albany and east to Esperance. These pasture areas collectively supported 12.56 million sheep, representing 99% of WA\u27s total sheep flock in 2020-21. The analysis is based on the pasture area data of 2020-21, drawing from multiple sources, including datasets from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). By excluding grazing areas smaller than 200 hectares and shires associated with hobby farming from the ABS 2020-21 data, the analysis focuses on larger, commercially significant operations, providing a clearer understanding of pasture distribution and land use
Draft Management Plan for the South Coast Scallop Managed Fishery
No full textThe Minister for Fisheries (Minister) intends to transition the South Coast Trawl Fishery (SCTF) to formal management by determining a management plan for the fishery in accordance with section 54(1) of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994 (FRMA).
Section 54(1) of FRMA provides for the Minister to determine by instrument in writing published in the Government Gazette, a management plan for a fishery. Not less than two months prior to determining a management plan, the Minister must, in accordance with section 64(2) of FRMA, prepare a draft of the plan and by notice in the Gazette, state their intent to determine a management plan for a fishery and invite interested persons to comment on the draft plan.
Persons interested in commenting on the draft management plan can make representations to the Minister in accordance with the information included in the notice. All representations made regarding a draft management plan will be considered by the Minister prior to determining the management plan
Soil and fertiliser management for orchards in the Manjimup district
No full textThis publication aims to give orchardists a broad understanding of the soils in the Manjimup district. It provides information on soil and fertiliser management that will assist in the sustainable production of fruit crops. This document was prepared for a Soils Course for horticulturalists, that was held in September 2023 at Manjimup Horticultural Research Centre.
The Manjimup local government area (LGA) is the most important horticultural district in Western Australia, particularly for fruit and in 2020 the total value of horticultural production was valued at 135 million and $39 million respectively (Figure 2). Figures 3 and 4 show that the Manjimup LGA is the biggest producer of avocados and apples in the state
Metropolitan Monitoring Program 2023
No full textAnnual surveys of shore- and boat-based recreational fishers within the Metropolitan zone of the West Coast bioregion provide information on human dimensions and catch-per-fisher as well as mean length and weight of key recreationally caught species. For shore-based fishers, estimates of effort, catch and harvest are also presented for key nearshore species. This information is used to support ongoing assessments for key demersal and nearshore species and review the effectiveness of fisheries managements, such as Australian Herring and Southern Garfish.
A roving creel survey of shore-based fishers was used to collect data between Ocean Reef and Point Peron (30% of coastline within the Metropolitan Zone) from February to June 2023. Estimates of fishing effort and catch therefore align with the spatio-temporal sampling frame of this survey. An access point (boat ramp) survey was used to collect data from boat-based fishers at key boat ramps between Two Rocks and Mandurah from January to July 2023. These data are considered to be representative of the entire Metropolitan zone.
The highest proportions of shore- and boat-based fishers were aged between 30–44 (36%) and 45–59 (25%) years. Shore-based fishers predominantly fished less than ten days (38%) in the previous 12-months. Most shore- (85%) and boat-based (75%) fishers resided and fished within the Perth Metropolitan area.
Median kept catch for shore-based fishers on a fishing trip was 3 fish per fisher. Australian Herring (29%), Squid (12%) and Yellowtail Scad (8%) were the most frequently kept species. Toadfish, Tarwhine and Pink Snapper were the most frequently released species by shore-based fishers. Median kept catch for boat-based fishers on a fishing trip was 1 fish per fisher. West Australian Dhufish (10%), Silver Trevally (9%) and Squid (9%) were the most frequently kept species, while Wrasses (21%), Pink Snapper (16%) and West Australian Dhufish (6%) were the most frequently released species by boat-based fishers.
Fishing effort for shore-based fishers in the Metropolitan zone was 147,062 fisher hours (95% CI 126,276–167,847) in 2023. Effort remained consistent with all previous survey years (2010, 2014–22) (i.e., the 95% confidence interval overlapped between survey years), except 2016 (194,926–382,931 fisher hours). The kept catch (all species) for shore-based fishers was 190,941 fish (95% CI 27,053–354,828) in 2023, and 144,793 fish (103,945–185,640) were released. Annual kept catch was higher than the past 5 years, although this was not significantly different.
The annual mean shore-based harvest of Australian Herring was 13.6 t (95% CI 6.6–20.7 t) in 2023 which has been steady since 2018. The annual mean harvest of Australian Herring was lower in 2023 compared with 32 t (95% CI 19.9–44.3) in 2017 and 31.1 t (95% CI 19.8–42.3) in 2010 (shorter, 3-month survey period) although this was not significantly different. The shore-based harvest of School Whiting was 0.5 t (0.1–1.1) in 2023, which was consistent with the previous 3 survey years. The shore-based harvest in 2023 for Pink Snapper (0.7 t 95% CI 0–1.9), Tailor (0.9 t 95% CI 0–3.3) and Squid (3.6 t 95% CI 1.2–6) has been consistently low since 2014
Welcome -Turning the Dial Conference
No full textOur host, Josh Byrne will extend a warm welcome to all attendees, setting the tone for a day filled with learning, networking, and collaboration. During this session, we\u27ll cover essential housekeeping details to ensure everyone has a smooth and enjoyable experience throughout the event