ANU Reporter

Farmers, researchers fight salt of the earth

Dr John Field, Ray Evans, Ben Rogers, Dr Richard Greene and Janelle Jenkins continue the mapping process

By Damon Shorter

On wet days the Boorowa River, which meanders through thousands of hectares of prime sheep and wheat country between Yass and Cowra, dumps 60,000 tonnes of salt into the Lachlan River.

The salt is run-off from farms in the Boorowa catchment which, like much of Australia's prime agricultural land,is being poisoned by salt carried to the surface by vegetation clearing and rising water tables. The area affected by salinity is expanding by 17 per cent each year.

In an attempt to better predict and slow the advance of salinity Boorowa farmers, through their local Landcare group, are working with environmental management students from the ANU and University of Canberra and scientists from the Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO).

Since 1992, the students have been making detailed maps of the 167,000ha Boorowa catchment as a practical component of their courses in soils and land management, recording soil types, land use, topography, geology and salinity in the region.

The hand-written data recorded by students over the past six years on small-scale maps is being collated and digitised by students Ben Rogers and Gordon Sue, in an attempt to pin-point key risk factors that occur repeatedly in salinity-affected land.

"In a way, we are identifying the winners and the losers in this particular catchment," explained Ray Evans, an AGSO hydrogeologist involved in the project.

As the data is analysed and it becomes clear which geological factors are linked to salinity in the area, the students, in conjunction with Landcare and AGSO, are creating salinity hazard maps to predict the farms most at risk of salt damage.

It is information some farmers don't want to hear - a high salinity risk can depreciate property prices or force up insurance premiums. However Janelle Jenkins, who coordinates the Boorowa Landcare group, says the overwhelming majority of farmers recognise the long-term importance of the research and 80 per cent participate in local Landcare programs.

Dr John Field, senior lecturer in soils in the Department of Forestry, and Dr Richard Greene, a lecturer in soils in the Department of Geography, coordinate the field trips to the Boorowa region.

This year 22 students participated in the mapping exercise, including six from the University of Canberra.

"It is good for the students to put them in a real soil surveyor's situation, living in a pub and having to work from dawn to dark in the mud and grime and dust and flies to get the job done," Dr Field said.

Several students have been paid to return after field trips and design management plans for farms they surveyed, Dr Greene said.

The researchers hope to gather enough information to advise management decisions such as how to best control salinity. This will help farmers design effective management practices to minimise degradation.

"Collecting data is the easy bit," Ray Evans said. "The hard bit is working out what to do with all this information."

Farmers, researchers fight salt of the earth
	Dr John Field, Ray Evans, Ben Rogers, Dr Richard Greene and Janelle Jenkins continue the mapping process
By Damon Shorter On wet days the Boorowa River, which meanders through thousands of hectares of prime sheep and wheat country between Yass and Cowra, dumps 60,000 tonnes of salt into the Lachlan River. The salt is run-off from farms in the Boorowa catchment which, like much of Australia's prime agricultural land,is being poisoned by salt carried to the surface by vegetation clearing and rising water tables. The area affected by salinity is expanding by 17 per cent each year. In an attempt to better predict and slow the advance of salinity Boorowa farmers, through their local Landcare group, are working with environmental management students from the ANU and University of Canberra and scientists from the Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO). Since 1992, the students have been making detailed maps of the 167,000ha Boorowa catchment as a practical component of their courses in soils and land management, recording soil types, land use, topography, geology and salinity in the region. The hand-written data recorded by students over the past six years on small-scale maps is being collated and digitised by students Ben Rogers and Gordon Sue, in an attempt to pin-point key risk factors that occur repeatedly in salinity-affected land. "In a way, we are identifying the winners and the losers in this particular catchment," explained Ray Evans, an AGSO hydrogeologist involved in the project. As the data is analysed and it becomes clear which geological factors are linked to salinity in the area, the students, in conjunction with Landcare and AGSO, are creating salinity hazard maps to predict the farms most at risk of salt damage. It is information some farmers don't want to hear - a high salinity risk can depreciate property prices or force up insurance premiums. However Janelle Jenkins, who coordinates the Boorowa Landcare group, says the overwhelming majority of farmers recognise the long-term importance of the research and 80 per cent participate in local Landcare programs. Dr John Field, senior lecturer in soils in the Department of Forestry, and Dr Richard Greene, a lecturer in soils in the Department of Geography, coordinate the field trips to the Boorowa region. This year 22 students participated in the mapping exercise, including six from the University of Canberra. "It is good for the students to put them in a real soil surveyor's situation, living in a pub and having to work from dawn to dark in the mud and grime and dust and flies to get the job done," Dr Field said. Several students have been paid to return after field trips and design management plans for farms they surveyed, Dr Greene said. The researchers hope to gather enough information to advise management decisions such as how to best control salinity. This will help farmers design effective management practices to minimise degradation. "Collecting data is the easy bit," Ray Evans said. "The hard bit is working out what to do with all this information."