Central Oil Mallee Region Report - Max & Angela Waters
As fingers touch keys, the forecast is for possible showers on Sunday evening and hopefully when Dinkum Oil reaches you the world will seem a better place.
Events
Oil Mallee Seminar and Field walk at Bencubbin on 20th February. A most successful day with both Anthony Jack and Ian Stanley providing hands on experience with alley farming.
Local
AGM on March 14th. Main focus was on Jeff Clafflin as guest
speaker and Ian Stanley reporting on Kalannie Distillers. The office bearers
were returned unopposed.
OMA
AGM on March 16th. A most informative day and congratulations to
Anthony Jack who spoke on oil mallees from a “Farmers Perspective.”
Kansai Electric Power Company visited Kalannie on 26th March. The visit was hosted by Syd Shea and consisted of a tour of oil mallee sites followed by a BBQ where the guests met growers representing areas within our region. Following a bumpy landing the Shire grader was seen on the airstrip the next day.
Ester 80%
We urge farmers in all regions to think twice before using ester 80% in close proximity to
towns, especially if they house a nursery. Two nurseries were affected last year and one this year. Not only do the nurseries suffer financial loss but it also puts orders in jeopardy and increases the possibility of shortfalls.
Numbers
Oil mallee orders for our region are currently sitting around 900,000 with eighty-eight growers including thirteen new farmers. Orders of some species can still be taken.
An important tip for good seedling establishment in our region:
Plant seedlings deep and make sure they are wet. Carry water on your ute.
Some aims and objectives of Kalannie Distillers:
To assist the OMC in the development of the continuous flow still and evaporative cell work, by supplying biomass as required.
To develop harvesting logistics.
To field test equipment and establish cost and best practice.
To act as contract harvesters and distillers thus demonstrating this capability to the farmers to encourage them to continue planting throughout the Central Oil Mallee Region.
Oil is flowing
Compiled by Robert Nixon – President of Kalannie Distillers.
A milestone was achieved by the oil mallee industry when a consignment of high-grade eucalyptus oil left Kalannie in June.
Kalannie Distillers has commenced commercial harvesting and distillation of locally grown oil mallees. Kalannie Distillers was formed by six partners, with varying expertise and lots of enthusiasm.
Already the high-grade quality of the eucalyptus oil production has been confirmed with an analysis of an oil cineole content of up to 89%. This is very good and vindicates years of painstaking efforts by CALM’s breeding programme to select only high quality mallees.
KD’s plant includes tractors, a harvester, two collection bins and a mobile distillation unit. Mounted on the low loader are the boiler, steam hose, recovery lid for bins, condenser and separator.
This plant is presently cutting and cooking its way through the mallee alleys on Ian and Robyn Stanley’s property.
Operations are directed by a Project Manager, Boiler Operator and a Harvester Operator.
The harvester operator, Mike Kerr, is responsible for cutting the biomass and transporting full bins to the mobile distillation unit where a lid is lowered onto the bin with a steam outlet attached before the steam is injected through the bin full of cut leaf and stems. Peter Hill is responsible for operating the boiler and carefully regulating pressures, temperature and cooling water. As the oil flows both Peter and Mike document details of the whole operation.
This venture has produced the first Western Australian commercial eucalyptus oil from modern harvesting and distillation methods. However many years have passed since goldfields pioneer prospector, Tom Egan, operated a eucalyptus distillery at Yellowdene near Southern Cross. Once again oil is moving through this tiny settlement as it is trucked to the Eastern States in special containers distinctively labelled!!!