THE benefits and potential of soil carbon was on full display during a field day hosted by Precision Pastures recently.
Producers from NSW and from as far away as Queensland and Canberra flocked to the Deepwater property of grazier Pat Herde, Eastleigh, to hear first-hand from industry leaders and fellow producers working in the sector.
Featuring presentations from Precision Pastures founder and managing director Milton Curkpatrick and Impact Ag Partners natural capital manager Toby Grogan, who gave an overview of the Australian industry.
The crowd was also treated to a field walk on Mr Herde's property Eastleigh, as well as given a soil test demonstration.
The event was specifically focused on soil carbon farming, which under the Clean Energy Regulator's method, requires producers to conduct baseline soil testing.
From there, landholders then complete a change of land management that includes one or more 'eligible activities'.
Examples of eligible activities include the application of lime to optimise pH levels, the application of fertiliser to rectify nutrient deficiencies, rejuvenating pastures by re-seeding, using a broad mix pasture cropping, or changing stocking density, movement and timing.
Mr Curkpatrick hailed the event as a success saying the strong was turn out was proof of the growing interest in the sector.
"Farmers are assessing their options to integrate carbon farming into their enterprises," Mr Curkpatrick said.
"We offer a low-cost initial assessment - a Carbon Starter Report - which highlights a farm's ability to sustainably and profitably sequester carbon which is something many were signing up for on the day."
The event comes as the Prime Minister attended the COP26 conference in Glasgow, where the push for the Australian agriculture sector to be net-zero by 2050 dominated conversation.
Mr Curkpatrick said it was pleasing to see the level of interest from producers at the event, who were all looking to explore the possibilities of carbon farming within their existing operations.
"The overview of the carbon market and general regulatory landscape was also very helpful to those in the room who were keen to wrap their heads around the methodology and fee structures around carbon projects," Mr Curkpatrick said.
"We believe the alignment of production objectives with regulated 'eligible activities' under the Clean Energy Regulator's methodology means soil carbon farming can be a significant.
"This is a win-win for farmers as they seek to boost their pasture performance by sequestering carbon, and then potentially obtain carbon credits in time."
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Billy Jupp
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
