Dry land Salinity
            
             Dry land salinity is a major problem that farmers face throughout parts of Australia. Salinity is when salt rises to the surface due to waterlogged ground which cause the water table to rise bring up salt with it. Once the salt reaches the grounds surface the soil becomes almost useless to the farmer. Yet there is prevention and solutions. How to prevent and manage salinity is being taught to farmers. This is necessary, even in this local area where it is predicted by the year 2050 67 224 hectares of farming land along the MacIntyre will be affected by salinity and an approximately another 30 000 hectares along other main river systems.
             (Source of figures: George Truman, Salinity Officer, Department of Land and Water Conservation, Barwon Region; Speech on Salinity)
            
             Areas affected at present and predicted to be affected by 2050 Australia wide.
            
             State/Territory* 1998/2000 2050
             New South Wales 181 000 1 300 000
             Victoria 670 000 3 110 000
             Queensland not assessed 3 100 000
             South Australia 390 000 600 000
             Western Australia 4 363 000 8 800 000
             Tasmania 54 000 90 000
             Total 5 658 000 17 000 000
             * The Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory were not included as the dryland salinity problem was considered to be very minor.
            
             Salinity is managed closely and carefully for researches to find more productive ways to monitor, improve, and prevent the problem.
            
             It is estimated that about 30 percent of land is at risk to salinity and while it's not possible to restore this land to its original condition, in-roads are being made into curbing the impact of salinity both on and off farm.
            
             So far the best way known for a solution and prevention of dry land salinity on farms is grain-growing. In an article written in 'Productive Solutions to Dry land Salinity' It tells us that once native vegetation with deeps root systems is removed water from the he rain leeks through, below the root zone of annu...