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Midwest Region Report - Robyn Stephens

Hopefully when you get to see this copy of the Dinkum Oil you will have all received some decent rains and the season is looking up for 2001!! Maybe these thoughts are ambitious but I really do hope things improve, as at present the crops in a lot of the region are going backwards and in some cases they never made it out of the ground.

To date the orders for the Midwest region are approximately 350,000 seedlings. These orders are considerably lower than last year due to the dry season. In addition to the Oil Mallees there are 20,000 Melaleuca seedlings being established on three properties as trials through the CALM SEARCH program. I look forward to further developments with Melaleucas for next year. Please contact me if you would like to know more about how Melaleucas would fit into your program.

Some second year chemical damage to Oil Mallees has occurred in the region. It is best to try and spray over the trees during the early winter months and make sure the weather is cool. As a pre-emergent option over spraying with Simazine up to 5 l/ha is possible over 1 year old Oil Mallees as a general purpose weed control. This rate must be adjusted in line with soil type and rainfall. It should be noted that many herbicides used for tree establishment are not registered for this use. It is necessary to acquire an off-label permit from the NRA. Responsibility for application for an off-label permit rests with the tree grower. Contractors should sight permits prior to commencement of operations.

Over the past few months I have been working on a salinity seminar, mapping of sites from previous years and site selections for this year’s plantings and entering information into the database. During these visits I saw Matt and Brenda Williamson’s amazing Oil Mallees and sorghum growing on a sand plain seep (see photo below). The photo was taken in March 2001. The Oil Mallees were planted on the 15th July 1999 and the sorghum was planted on the 15th September 2000 without any summer rain. The sorghum was approximately 10 feet tall and still growing!!

The salinity seminar is to be held on the 21st of August 2001 at the Morawa Shire Hall and will cover the following:

1) The hydrological processes involved in groundwater

2) The significance of the flora "at threat" by salinity.

3) The commercial options.

There will also be displays on the land monitor project, the CD ROM on Acacias in the Kalannie region and other catchment and farm improvement groups. (See Agenda at bottom)

For further information contact:

Robyn Stephens
Region Manager-Midwest Oil Mallee Association

Ph: 08 99723001 or Fax: 08 99723002
E-mail: rstephens@wn.com.au

Please register by 10^th August 2001.

Tuesday 21^st August 2001
Morawa Shire Hall