Climate, land & water

Western Australia’s agriculture sector needs access to productive soil and water resources for growth and profit. However, the sector must compete with increasing resource demands from all sectors of the community, and the pressures of a changing climate. The Agriculture and Food division of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development supports agriculture by providing long-term management solutions, practical risk management strategies and tools to maintain and improve resource conditions, to meet the needs of industry and stakeholders. Agriculture and Food is also pioneering soil and water investigation of the state’s undeveloped areas to establish new irrigated agricultural industries.

Articles

Whole farm nutrient mapping

3 July 2014

The whole farm nutrient mapping procedure described here applies to pastures in the greater than 600mm rainfall zone of south-west Western Australia.
Monitoring rangeland condition

4 November 2013

There are many benefits from monitoring and assessing pastoral rangeland condition, and monitoring can be done at several levels to meet the needs of rangeland managers, researchers and government
Sulfur for high rainfall pastures in Western Australia

30 October 2013

Sulfur deficiency can substantially reduce yield in pastures on sandy soils in wet years, when the sulfate form of sulfur leaches below the root zone of pasture plants. This page is specific to hig
Ord River Irrigation Expansion: Mantinea Development area

19 May 2015

This page summarises the preliminary soil and groundwater resource assessment findings for the Mantinea Development area, part of the Goomig farmlands in the Ord River Irrigation Expansion Stage 2,
Leveed deep drains in Western Australia

11 November 2013

Leveed deep drains are deep excavated channels with sloping floors and sides, and levees on both sides.
Report card on sustainable natural resource use in agriculture in Western Australia

2 December 2013

The Report card on sustainable natural resource use in agriculture: status and trend in the agricultural areas of the south-west of Western Australia was produced by the Department of Prim
Land conservation district committees in Western Australia

11 November 2013

Land conservation district committees (LCDCs) are statutory committees appointed by the Commissioner of Soil and Land Conservation in Western Australia, to administer land conservation districts in
Ord River Irrigation Expansion Stage 3: Cockatoo Sands

26 November 2013

This page and attached reports are part of the assessments for expansion of Ord River Irrigation in Western Australia’s Kimberley region: the 6000 hectares of red loamy soils – the Cockatoo Sands –
Estimating soil texture by hand

27 February 2014

Estimating or measuring soil texture provides valuable information about soil properties affecting crop and pasture growth. Soil texture affects the movement and availability of air, nutrients and
Wheat yield potential and land management constraints in the south-west of Western Australia

10 November 2015

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development assessed the potential and reported wheat yield of the 18 million hectares of agricultural land in the south-west of Western Australia