Mallee trees grow in importance to Western Australian farmers

Agriculture and Food and Forestry Minister Kim Chance today said that mallee trees were proving to be a valuable option for farmers devastated by drought and could even save some farmers from being forced off their land.

Mr Chance toured the Wheatbelt towns of Mullewa and Kalannie to inspect how mallees were being used to improve farm sustainability and to benefit farming communities in many other ways.

"The north eastern Wheatbelt has endured years of drought, yet Mike Kerkman's farm east of Mullewa is greener than those around him because of how he has structured his farming practices and used mallee trees to their full advantage," he said.

Mr Kerkman, who is the president of the Oil Mallee Association of WA, said the trees had the capacity to improve adjacent cropping zones through their appetite for water, to reduce wind-blown erosion and to encourage farmers to stay on the land.

The Minister said the impact of climate change made it imperative that marginal farming areas considered moving to different practices and this could be linked to exceptional circumstances funding to encourage sustainable farming methods.