On-Farm Carbon Advice Newsletter - December 2024
Welcome to the latest news and updates from the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) On-Farm Carbon Advice program!
The On-Farm Carbon Advice team extends our heartfelt thanks to everyone who attended our events and showed interest in our program. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We look forward to continuing to bring you the latest updates on all things ‘carbon’.
On-Farm Carbon Advice Program Update
Reflecting on the year that’s been, the On-Farm Carbon Advice project delivered 60 education and training events across NSW in 2024, attended by over 1300 farmers.
One of these events, “Know Your Farm Emission Numbers,” explained sources of on-farm greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and how to calculate on-farm net emissions using the Environmental Accounting Platform (EAP) emissions calculator by Agriculture Innovation Australia (AIA). This workshop was well received, and the team will be running similar workshops in 2025.
The team also worked with farmers from different parts of the state producing Farm Carbon Management Plans. These plans include a baseline greenhouse gas emissions profile for individual farms, breaking down different farming activities such as livestock, fertiliser use, fuel, and energy. This will aid future decision-making on reducing GHG emissions, assessing the impact on farm productivity, identifying co-benefits, and exploring opportunities to access carbon and environmental markets. The Farm Carbon Management Plan also provides an estimate of the emission intensity for the agricultural products on the farm, as well as information on management options to reduce GHG emissions.
Looking ahead to 2025, we will continue to deliver our education and training events, including ‘Carbon Farming Fundamentals’ and ‘Know Your Farm Emission Numbers’ workshops. We will also host a range of demonstration field days showcasing GHG emissions reduction management options.
If you are interested in any of our programs or products, please register your interest here.
Carbon Farming Opportunities Tool
The Carbon Farming Opportunities Tool, developed by the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) in collaboration with the University of South Australia (UniSA) can be used to simulate the feasibility and viability Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) scheme methods (the vegetation methods) across NSW, taking into consideration rainfall, temperatures, soil and existing vegetation cover. It also helps to identify economically viable opportunities under different carbon prices and future climate scenarios.
ABC Future Tense
If you are interested to learn more about enteric methane, the ABC Future Tense had a program this week with NSW DPIRD's Ed Clayton on the Low Methane Sheep Project.