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| Introduction Sustainability Case Studies Resources | |
| Case Study List | |
Saline SolutionsSalinity affects 20% of Ken and Anne Warren’s dairy farm in Undera. Rising watertables, a problem common to farmers in the Shepparton Irrigation Region, have prompted the Warrens to look for alternative ways of keeping their farm productive. They have reduced the size of their dairy herd from 200 to 100 and put in storage ponds to catch waste water and effluent which is produced during milking.Initially, Ken and Anne planted raspberries in their front paddock and produced a range of homemade jams and marmalades. Tremenaire marmalade, made from fruit grown in Ken’s mother’s garden, has become a specialty of their range. Now, they buy in fruit to make their jam, and they have expanded into a honey packing business. Ken now distributes Warren’s Country Produce to selected markets in Melbourne. He loads produce into his retired ambulance and drives to Melbourne every Wednesday. Ken and Anne have made some of their land available for a trial which recycles salty groundwater through trees and evaporation basins. The process is called the Serial Biological Concentration and is being monitored by staff from the Institute for Sustainable Irrigated Agriculture (Tatura) and the Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute. Salt-affected land is planted with saltbush and salt-tolerant tree species, such as red gum and other eucalyptus species, melaleuca and casuarina. Irrigated water is pumped through tree crops, into evaporation basins, where they are raising and harvesting salt-water fish species. Water is then filtered through to evaporation ponds where they are trialing salt harvesting. By reusing irrigated water, they can reduce farm costs, regenerate salinity-affected land and diversify into new farming enterprises, such as tree planting and mariculture. The Undera Landcare Group helped the Warrens plant trees and prepare the site, and Gavin Privitt, from Pyramid Salt Company in Pyramid Hill, advised them to line the evaporation basins with black plastic to prevent leaching. Ken and Anne are keen for people to visit the test site to learn about the way salinity problems can be addressed. All of their activities are adding value to the farm’s produce, whilst helping reduce the impact of human activities on the environment.
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