How carbon can not only benefit the environment but also increase your bottom line

February 14, 2017 4:39 pm

Farmers are on the front line of climate change.  Therefore, they also have one of the most potent weapons to address the problem – taking carbon out of the atmosphere and locking it up in the soil.

Soil carbon is the single best indicator of soil health.  Building soil carbon not only helps to mitigate climate change by removing carbon from the atmosphere, it also builds resilience and helps to underpin a profitable agricultural sector.

Around Australia, industries and people are taking action now to prepare for these impacts. Australian agriculture needs to respond to the challenge of reducing its emissions and can do so by introducing carbon farming.

The phrase ‘carbon farming’ means using farming methods to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and/or capture and hold carbon in vegetation and soils.

Carbon farming not only reduces greenhouse emissions, it can also enable farmers to put carbon on their bottom line and improve sustainability.

Adding carbon to soil increases:

  • food production
  • water holding capacity
  • mineral cycling
  • biodiversity, and
  • food quality.

Carbon farming can be small changes in land management – like introducing no-till cropping, stubble retention, agroforestry, or methane-reducing feed supplements. At the other end of the scale, it can mean developing an integrated whole grazing plan to reduce emissions and maximise carbon capture. You could even be eligible to earn Australian Carbon Credit Units through the Emissions Reduction Fund.

The implementation of sustainably managed grazing systems is another way of increasing soil carbon. Impact Ag has assisted a client in establishing such a system over the last 6 years, building their soil organic carbon from 3.8% to 5.01%.

Find out how Impact Ag can help you sustainably manage your grazing system, contact us today and learn more about our services.

 

 

 

 

 


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