Organic Insights Magazine - Spring 2023

24 / Organic Insights / Spring 2023

/ Continued fromprevious page

‘TOWARDS ON FARM CARBON NEUTRAL ITY’ WORKSHOP PREPARES FARMERS FOR BIG CHANGES

With Nic Kentish from RCS facilitating the event, the participants listened to the presentations and had some of the questions below answered over the course of the workshop: • Howmuch carbon/methane do cattle and sheep produce on grazing land? • Why is methane increasingly becoming more of a concern? • How do I work out howmuch methane and other carbon emissions my livestock business produces? • Howmuch carbon do I currently capture in soil and vegetation? • When will feed additives be available to reduce livestock methane emissions and can they be used for paddock-raised animals? • How do I increase my soil carbon storage? • How can I use revegetation to store carbon? • Is it feasible / economical to become a carbon farmer and enter the carbon market? In keeping with the theme of using seaweed for methane reduction, participants left with a sample bag of SOS Liquid Kelp and Stock aid sea biscuits, kindly donated by Leo Lin from Australian Kelp Products, who has donated over 10,000 litres of liquid kelp to farmers in the Cudlee Creek fire since 2019. Farmers stayed for lunch and discussed the morning’s presentations and what implications the market’s demands and MLA’s target to be carbon neutral by 2030 (CN30) will have for their businesses. All agreed there was much more to learn and more action to take. Landscapes Hills and Fleurieu aims to support farmers through the steps to transition to carbon neutrality in the new financial year and beyond. This project is supported by the Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

L to R: Nic Kentish, Leo Lin and Russell Seawright

On Thursday June 1, Landscapes Hills and Fleurieu partnered with NASAA Organic and Coopers of Mt Torrens to present a workshop called ‘Towards on-farm Carbon Neutrality.’ The aimwas to raise awareness for a targeted cohort of commercial farmers (over 40 ha/100 acres of land located in the Cudlee Creek fire scar) about how they can take steps towards making their farm business and farm products Carbon neutral. Approximately 40 participants attended and heard from expert speakers such as Emma Winslow (PIRSA), Russell Seawright (CEO of Australian Integrated Carbon), Dr Amanda Shapel (SARDI) and Dr Mariana Caetano from the University of Adelaide.