Farmers to “own” soil carbon trading

Farmers can only avoid the sharks in the soil carbon market if they take control of it for themselves, says farmers’ group Carbon Farmers of Australia. They can take advantage of the early notice of the coming market in soil carbon to join with other farmers to form trading ‘groups’ and avoid being exploited by low prices for carbon.

“When the Government and the Opposition made their announcements about soil carbon, nobody thought to ask farmers about the price they are expected to accept,” says Carbon Farmers’ Director Michael Kiely. “Prices from $5 up to $20 a tonne for CO2 stored in soil have been floated – and farmers we have consulted so far say these prices as not covering the risk they are expected to take.”

“To get the uptake by farmers the country needs to tackle the CO2 problem, prices will have to start at $25-$30 and we’ll see what other conditions they will need,” says Kiely. Carbon Farmers are conducting a series of 2-day workshops which prepare the farmers to trade in the Prime Carbon system and at the same time gets their views on such issues as price. They are in Tamworth on 16^th-17^th February, having already met with farmers in Dubbo, Wagga Wagga, Young and Moree.

Under the National Carbon Offset Standard, released last December by Penny Wong’s department, the market can open from July this year. The only program ready to go is run by Prime Carbon which has submitted its system to the Department for approval. “Carbon Farmers of Australia is a not-for-profit ‘growers’ agent’. We represent the grower to the wholesalers of all programs and advise them and represent them in disputes and negotiations, if necessary,” says Kiely, who with his wife and fellow Director Louisa have campaigned for four years as Convenors of the Carbon Coalition to win for farmers the right to trade soil carbon. They are woolgrowers from near Wellington, NSW.

The 2-day “Boot Camp” is Farm Ready Approved which means that farmers are fully reimbursed for the cost which is $555 (incl. GST.) The workshop takes participants through the A-to-Z of Carbon, Soil Carbon, How to Grow it and sell it and hold onto it. A copy of the book Practical Carbon Farming, written and published by the Kielys, is given to each attendee.

SOIL CARBON FACTS

1. Soils hold more Carbon (1550 Gt) than is held in both the air (550Gt) and the vegetation on Earth (650Gt).
2. The Climate Chaos affecting us and many other countries  cannot be blamed on future emissions. There is 70 to 100 years’ supply of the Carbon Legacy Load already up there. This is causing our woes.
3. Neither Clean Coal nor solar energy nor wind power nor nuclear power nor wave energy nor themal rocks can ‘draw down’ a single molecule of Carbon from the air.
4. Photosynthesis – the process for making plants grow – is the only technology known to mankind that can ‘draw down’ CO2 from the air.
5. Only soils have the Massive Capacity, the Critical Mass, and the Full Deployment needed to start sequestering now. Forests take 10 years to reach full “draw down” capacity.
6. Soils and vegetation can draw down the equivalent of 50ppm (parts per million) for 50 years while non-fossil fuel energy sources come online.
7. Climate change is likely to send 40million refugees to our shores in the next 50 years, according to a Pentagon report, and reports from the head of the Australian Defence Force, the Australian Federal Police, and several US Military Strategic Planning Panels…