Mid West commercial flower and horticulture grower Jack Davoren has recently purchased a small desalination plant as part of ongoing efforts to improve his production system and drought-proof his business.
The desalination plant allows him to utlise lower quality or otherwise unsuitable bore water on his property at Isseka, which he purchased due to its reliable access to water.
Mr Davoren is one of the farmers being surveyed by Northern Agricultural Catchments Council (NACC) Natural Resource Management (NRM) – the SW WA Hub’s Geraldton Regional Node Lead.
Farmer surveys by the SW WA Hub’s eight Regional Node Leads aim to track changes in knowledge, attitudes, skills or practice change as a result of the hub’s activities and interactions with Regional Node Leads.
Mr Davoren is also using a plastic mulch to protect soils from evaporation and is investigating a move into winter-dominant growing to better match production to rainfall.
He runs cover crops on unused fallow land and has been experimenting with improved controls by promoting beneficial bugs.
Looking forward, Mr Davoren is prioritising native trees that may be used as windbreaks, but are also additions to his flower production.
