The opportunity for farmers in marginal areas to include perennials in their production systems is brightening, with new plant species belonging to the genus Rhagodia being trialled for their suitability as alternative perennial fodder shrubs in the lower rainfall agricultural regions of WA.

Trevor grew up on a farm in Coorow and only moved to Bolgart in 1994 when he and his parents bought ‘Waddi Park’. Recently the property has been mainly managed by Trevor and his wife Renae.

The Upper Great Southern Oil Mallee Growers Association initially contacted Wheatbelt NRM to assist them in addressing the number one concern amongst farmers who have integrated mallees on their properties – edge effect.

In 2011 David and Don Thomson commenced planting oil mallee seedlings in alleys through their Wheatbelt NRM Soil Conservation Incentives project.

Active Corrigin Farm Improvement Group members, Harry and Aaron Gayfer, first learnt about the benefits of oil mallee belts and saltbush plantings on one of the group’s annual bus tours many years ago.

Tony Williamson runs Morella Farms, a property between Merredin and Bruce Rock. Growing crops is his ‘bread and butter’.

Horticultural scientist, Lisa Blanch and her family operate the Talbot Nursery in Beverley, a wholesale business specialising in the propagation of native plants.

Alan Gelmi has a long-running involvement in Landcare initiatives and has always researched alternative avenues for the production and sustainability of his farming land.

Greg and Glenys Rutherford have been farming for much of their lives and have faced many challenges during this time.

Rod and Neil Carter became involved in the Soil Conservation Incentives Program following contact with the local Environment Officer and Wheatbelt Natural Resource Management Project Officer to discuss alternative management options for a highly wind-eroded site.

The Butler family have always placed a high value on trees and try to plant a few trees every year as part of the farm’s strategic plan.

Dean and Tanya Butler farm between Bruce Rock and Merredin in the Belka Valley. Through the Wheatbelt NRM project and others trials conducted on the property, the Butler’s have learnt to better manage land of lower productivity.

Anna and Colin Butcher of Mail Rock Farm in Brookton with the help of Wheatbelt NRM funding have established a 25ha seed nursery paddock of Margurita pink serradella that could be harvested to enable economically viable plantings of serradella across the farm.

Michael and Kezia Metcalf live and work on the family farm in Dowerin. Through funding from Wheatbelt NRM’s Soil Conservation Incentives Program possible project ideas for trialling pasture varieties on the farm to improve the profitability of the sheep enterprise were investigated.

Peter Whitfield found out about the Wheatbelt NRM project via a staff member from the group. “I wanted to try something different on unproductive soil types”, he said. “Years of yield mapping had shown us how bad these soils really are and the funding was a chance to help me improve them”.

Nathan become involved in the Caring for our Country funded project when he saw an advert to apply for wind erosion funding in the Wheatbelt NRM newsletter.

Perennials have several potential benefits to farming systems on unproductive, sandy soils and provide year-round ground cover, protecting the fragile soils from wind erosion events.

The project site forms the lower section of the Bindermucking Gully which feeds directly into the Avon River.

Leon grew up on the family farm east of Cadoux and can remember planting trees each year with his father since he was ten.

Bruce Talbot of Corrigin accepted the opportunity to trial gland clover and serradella on their properties. As a result of being involved in the project, Bruce now has a cleaner paddock as he has been able to manipulate grasses during the annual pasture legume phase.