Grounds Keeping Carbon Project

“When I first came here, we were growing around five or six tonne dry matter per hectare, activity in our soil was two or three worms per shovel full when you dug up at the best time of the year. Now it’s like 30 – 40 worms, enabling us to grow 20 tonne dry matter with very reduced inputs.”

We’ve gone down the path of doing the baseline testing, running through the Emissions Reduction Fund and getting those first carbon credits, and we’ve done it two years in a row. We’ve got 100 hectares here under the project, and we’ve got 110 cows and calves plot grazing around the farm.”

We’ve developed and incorporated the system which is concentrating on cycling the organic matter and building the nutrients up in the soil, creating a green manure crop and that’s what’s giving you the ability to cycle the organic matter which then picks up the photosynthesis, which makes more sugar, which builds more carbon in the soil.”

“It’s reducing all the input costs, we are getting extra yield, we are improving the soil, and on top of all that we are getting carbon credits as well.” Niels Olsen, landholder and soil carbon farmer.

“The project works under the soil carbon method for agricultural systems, it’s a measurement-based method, so we actually physically and empirically measure the carbon content of soil, and then we measure again some two, three years later, and any calculated soil carbon increase turns into carbon credits.” Matthew Warnken, AgriProve.

“I’ve been coming to this farm for the past four years, doing the soil sampling. I’ve had the opportunity to work with alongside Niels when we are in the paddock, and it’s intrinsically valuable and highly important to be working with the landholders. Sampling their soils allows them to examine the soils on their farm, to a metre depth, the conversations this generates leads to situation improvement.” Adrianna Marchand, Bootstrap Environmental Services.