A wide range of people including farmers, agronomists, industry representatives and others working in agriculture are being encouraged to attend soil carbon seminars to be held at Narrabri on Thursday 12 March and Inverell on Friday 13 March.

These days fit in with a series of seminars developed by leading soil scientists and others to help farmers manage their response to the soil carbon debate.

The seminars at Narrabri and Inverell have been organised by NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) in conjunction with North West Beef Improvement Association, NSW Farmers, Narrabri Grazing group and Inverell Ag Bureau.

NSW DPI Beef Industry Officer based at Moree, David Llewelyn, said the purpose of the workshops was:

• to increase the level of understand of what soil carbon is and how it will be influenced in the future;
• to establish the most likely rate of change in soils in north-west NSW based on regional monitoring to date (including the biological benefits of carbon farming and grazing);
• to come to grips with the impact of the carbon pollution scheme on projected farm profitability for various types of enterprises;
• and to provide opportunity for people to have questions answered and to learn how to manage their response to the carbon debate.

At the seminars, Mick Keogh from the Australian Farm Institute, will discuss a report from the Centre for International Economics, which projects the likely effects of Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) on farm profitability, through to 2020 and 2030, and highlights the adjustment pressures facing agriculture.

Greg Mills Agricultural economist, based at Moree, will address the likely increases in upfront costs of farm inputs such as electricity, fuel, fertiliser and transport that are incurred as an indirect spin-off of the CPRS.

Dr Roger Hegarty from the Beef Cooperative Research Centre, will draw on his experience as a researcher and his time in New Zealand, to inform the seminar of some of the best ways to reduce the methane emissions of ruminants

NSW DPI soil scientist, Dave Waters, will demonstrate with two local soil samples under the microscope just what soil carbon is and how it operates in biological systems.

The Narrabri seminar will be held at the Crossing Theatre, 117 Tibbereena Street, 9.30am - 5.00pm. The Inverell seminar will be held at the RSM Club, 68 Evans Street, 9.30am - 5.00pm. For further information and registrations contact Moree NSW DPI office on (02) 6750 6300.

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Media contact: Sarah Chester (02) 6036 2110 or 0417 207 669