Australia’s most northern salt harvest just kicked off, but the end result won’t end up on your table

Most farmers welcome rain — besides at harvest — however for the salt trade it is extra curse than blessing.  

Apart from resulting in a scarcity of seasoning, rain on the salt plains can even spell hassle for pool house owners.

Earlier this yr, there was a shortage of salt for pools on the east coast due to significant rain events, significantly in New South Wales. 

And additional heavy rainfall this summer season may drive up the demand for salt to sanitise swimming pools, as salty pool water is diluted and misplaced by overflows.

So why is rain a problem?

The nation’s northernmost saltworks, positioned within the meals bowl of Bowen, has existed for nearly a century.

The present proprietor, Australian Saltworks, has run it for seven years.

Director Michael McNamara stated this yr was one of many wettest he had seen.

“[Rain’s] the enemy for a salt producer, and in a median yr we make common quantities of salt, however when it is moist, we make much less,” he stated.

“This yr it has been a good bit wetter than common.

In a median yr Australian Saltworks can be harvesting 20,000 tonnes on the website, however this yr the amount will probably be nowhere close to that.

Mr McNamara stated the season was often nicely timed to dodge the moist climate.

“Our annual cycle begins with salt manufacturing after the moist season [and] we deposit salt by the course of the dry a part of the yr,” he stated.

“And earlier than the moist season, we soar in and we get that salt, we harvest it and get it right into a stack the place it is secure from the rains in the course of the moist season.”

From salt fields to swimming swimming pools and stockfeed

About 75 per cent of the the salt produced on the Australian Saltworks Bowen website goes into feed for livestock, whereas the second largest portion of their product goes into swimming pools.

Mr McNamara stated whereas the rain made producing salt tougher, it had a optimistic impression on demand from the pool trade.

“Presently of the yr, when it begins to get wetter, folks have a tendency to purchase extra salt to place into their swimming swimming pools,” Mr McNamara stated.

He stated the method of getting the salt from the sector to the pool was fascinating.

“The salt area makes use of seawater as an enter, so you’ve got acquired salt within the seawater,” Mr McNamara stated.

The salt area has a collection of evaporation ponds that the water strikes by, with the focus growing in every as extra water evaporates.

“Ultimately after a time period that salt is able to come out of resolution and we deposit it into our crystallisers, that are constructed ponds,” Mr McNamara stated.

“And that is what we harvest annually.”

The harvested moist product is processed and completed as a dry product, which is then crushed extra finely and packaged earlier than it hits the market.

Pool house owners feeling much less of the pinch

Glen Selby, who supervises the pool counter at Dowdens pumping and water remedy in Mackay, agreed salt appeared to be in brief provide.

“I do know different pool outlets are sending [customers] right here so there have to be a scarcity for that to occur,” Mr Selby stated.

However he stated he was at the moment well-stocked.

Nevertheless, Mr Selby stated a whole lot of rain within the new yr may wash the salt out of swimming pools and drive up demand as soon as once more.

“However at this level, with out inclement climate or a cyclone or one thing, we needs to be OK to get by the subsequent couple of months.”