Sub sections:
Farmers Engaged in whole-farm Greenhouse Gas Audits
Southern New England Landcare (SNEL) and Lower Apsley River Landcare propose to set up a project to engage farmers in whole-farm greenhouse gas audits. The objective is to develop a process to engage farmers in whole-farm climate change issues including examination of the full greenhouse gas impacts for different enterprise combinations and management options.
SNEL approached PIIC/NCRGGR to ensure that the appropriate scientific methodology is used. SNEL has an interest in carbon emissions, carbon sequestration potential at whole-farm scale. They are concerned that farmers are seen as the ‘bad guys' and are looking for more information on whole farm carbon audits. SNEL and PIIC/NCRGGR are funding a pilot study on five grazing properties.
SNEL will appoint a coordinator for the project to convene a project team. Once the coordinator has been appointed, the five farmers will participate in a workshop - hopefully in October. Farmers would need to fill out data forms before the workshop. The workshop will:
- establish what farmers want to know about carbon on their farm;
- explain the National Carbon Accounting Scheme and what's currently in and out of the scheme;
- include a hands-on FarmGAS calculator exercise - farmers enter their own data (need to bring this to the day);
- discuss options for development of the ‘ideal' whole-farm greenhouse calculator.
The FarmGAS calculator was developed by I&I NSW's Pat Madden with funding from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries (DAFF) under the national climate change action plan and administered under the Australian Farm Institute. The calculator is designed to enable farmers to calculate the farm gross margin and greenhouse emission implications of changing their farm practices or enterprises.
The project will look at how the FarmGAS calculator could be adapted - starting with a Kyoto compliant version and then adding in soil carbon etc as extra macros. Data for livestock are based on ABS categories, state and seasons and more regionally-specific data are required. More detail is also needed for seasonal changes in liveweight, liveweight gain, quality of feed and emission factors.