Large areas on the farms of the O’Brien and Fleay families in Wickepin, WA had become unproductive for grazing or cropping due to rising salinity levels. Wheatbelt NRM provided them with biodvierse seedlings and expert technical support to help bring their saltlands back to productive agricultural land. Both families have experienced benefits to their farm productivity and now have areas on their farms that can be grazed up to three times a year by their sheep. The areas have successfully returned to production and are now adding value to the family farm businesses less than a year after the shrubs were planted. By planting up to 20% of unproductive land to biodiverse forage shrubs, whole-farm productivity can increase by 15-20%. “This salt land management tool (saltbush) has turned previous wasteland into productive land,” said Keith O’Brien. “I now have shelter for the stock and an alternative source of feed stock for my sheep.”
Wheatbelt NRM supported the O’Briens and Fleays through its ‘Soil Conservation Incentive’ program with funding from the Australian Government.
