Regional Coordinator
David Kessell - Department of Agriculture, WA
Phone: 08 9690 2000
Email: dkessell@agric.wa.gov.au
Grain & Graze projects in the Avon region:
- Better Understanding and Management of Pastures. View project summary.
Project contact: Samantha Giles, phone (08) 9690 2000, email sgiles@agric.wa.gov.au - Using time, labor and management more efficiently to meet profit and quality of life goals.
View project summary. Project contact: Linda Leonard, phone (08) 9690 2191, email lleonard@agric.wa.gov.au - The use of a longer pasture phase in an annual/crop system to increase profitability and lift animal production without cutting crop gross margins. View project summary.
Project contact: Linda Leonard, phone (08) 9690 2191, email lleonard@agric.wa.gov.au
Biodiversity in Grain & Graze (BiGG)
Project results from autumn and spring sampling in 2006
Avon BiGG newsletter March 07.pdf (pdf - 148KB)
Region Snapshot
The Avon Region, defined by the catchment of the Avon River and its tributaries, has a total area of 120,000 sq km and a population of 50,000.
The 2,500 mixed grazing and cropping farms in the region spread across a total area of 76,000 sq km. Farm numbers are falling rapidly in areas close to Perth and the average farm size is increasing. Grains represent 75% of farm income, grazing 12% and off-farm income 13%.
Soils vary from loams and clays to deep sands, and tend to be acidic with low fertility. As a result of rising water tables, 5% of the region is already salt-affected and this is predicted to rise to 30% over the next 50 years. Just over half of the farmers in the region direct drill into stubble.