Tracking and managing carbon emissions to meet supply and finance requirements will be the focus of a free workshop series for the Wimmera agricultural sector next month.

Wimmera CMA is hosting four workshops in mid to late July with Bellarine Peninsula livestock producer and low-emissions farmer and educator Cam Nicholson and soil scientist and farm emissions specialist Dr Cassie Schefe.

The workshops will provide an overview of emissions for farmers, including the market and government drivers leading the requirement to track emissions, the data used to calculate emissions, farm emission benchmarks as well as the short, medium and long-term levers for reducing emissions on farms.

Cam Nicholson will lead two of the workshops, one at Longerenong College on July 14 and a second at Aspley on July 15. The following week, Dr Schefe will lead workshops in Horsham on July 21 and Kaniva on July 22.

Wimmera CMA Sustainable Agriculture Facilitator Bronwyn Bant said the workshops would provide valuable information for farmers and others in the agricultural industry such as consultants, advisors and agronomists.

Ms Bant said Wimmera farmers were incredibly efficient producers already practicing what is considered as ‘low emissions farming’ through retaining stubble, precision ag and minimal disturbance.

“In the short term, farmers can make small adjustments to their farm business to positively impact their emissions profile. Innovation at an industry level is required in the medium to long-term to further reduce emissions.”

She said the workshops would highlight the correlation between lower emissions intensity and increased productivity.

“Calculating farm emissions will offer insights into where efficiencies can be made. As such, emissions calculators can act as both a strategic planning and reporting tool rolled into one. Now is the perfect time to be collecting data and work out how to achieve those efficiencies.”

She said workshop attendees would gain valuable insights from the extensive knowledge of the two presenters.

“Cam Nicholson is a trusted and knowledgeable ag communicator, particularly when it comes to emissions on farms,” Ms Bant said. “He is a valued information source for farmers, in part due to his practical approach, as well as his own experience as a livestock producer.”

Mr Nicholson and his partner Fiona Conroy have participated in multiple carbon-accounting projects on their farms and provided farmer representation to industry bodies such as Meat and Livestock Australia.

“Importantly, Cam and Fiona have demonstrated their farm’s carbon neutrality, without compromising productivity or profitability,” Ms Bant said.

Ms Bant said Dr Schefe is the Principal Scientist for The Cool Soil Initiative, which started in 2018 to support farmers in exploring practices to improve the health of their soil, increase yields, and reduce on-farm greenhouse gas emissions.

“She has worked with many Wimmera farmers and has a really strong understanding of Wimmera soils, specialising in soil chemistry and soil-plant interactions,” Ms Bant said.

• You can register for the free workshops online at wcma.vic.gov.au, by emailing Bronwyn.bant@wcma.vic.gov.au or phoning 0427 529 232.
• Wimmera CMA is presenting the workshops in partnership with Agriculture Victoria and Landcare Victoria, as part of the Carbon Farming Outreach Program funded by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. The program aims to support farmers and land managers in accessing accurate and independent information about reducing farm emissions, accounting and markets.