The Department of Agriculture has congratulated the Western Australian Lucerne Growers Inc. (WALG) on winning the salinity award under the 2003 State Landcare Award program.

The WALG took out the $1000 Natural Resource Management Salinity Management Award for demonstrating initiative and innovation in addressing salinity issues.  The prize money is to be used for professional development and extension.

Department researcher Clinton Revell said the WALG was formed in 1996 to support growers adopting lucerne technology as a solution to address rising groundwater levels.

Dr Revell said innovative research into the establishment and management of lucerne had been conducted in Western Australia over the past eight years by various research bodies including the Department of Agriculture and the University of Western Australia.

“Research and commercial experience have shown that lucerne provides an opportunity to increase water use in phase cropping rotations and livestock enterprises over a large part of the agricultural area,” Dr Revell said.

“The WALG has done a fantastic job in assisting 500 farmers to evaluate and integrate lucerne on their properties by promoting the research findings and recommendations.”

WALG has also produced a unique on-farm Assistance Package.  It is a training program in site selection and preparation, seeding technique and post-emergent management conducted in two visits over the season.

Dr Revell said through the grower network WALG was supporting landscape-scale change of farming systems to manage dryland salinity.

“The lucerne technology promoted by WALG has been proven by researchers and farmers to make a measurable difference to groundwater recharge, and hence watertable levels and saline discharge.”  

WALG Coordinator Sharon Dawson said WALG measured the success of its activities and extension by the area and performance of lucerne established each year. 

“With the help of ABARE census results and seed sales figures, it is possible to measure the rate of industry development by the area of lucerne sown, combined with the increasing rate of growth of WALG annual membership,” Ms Dawson said. 

“Since WALG’s incorporation in 1996, the area of lucerne has grown from 5000 hectares to 150 000 hectares in 2001. 

“During this time, over 500 land managers from Mullewa to Esperance have become WALG members and participated in the Assistance Package, with over 90 per cent success rate.”