Bettergrow Completes Baseline Carbon Soil Sampling

What is baseline soil carbon sampling?

Baseline soil carbon sampling is a fundamental component of any Australian soil carbon farming project under the ACCU Scheme’s Soil Carbon 2021 Methodology.

Baseline sampling measures the soil organic carbon (SOC) levels in the given project area before you start to implement your new activities. This baseline is then used to compare and measure future carbon levels throughout a carbon soil project. It is used to award you carbon credits for additional SOC stored. Read more about the baseline carbon soil sampling process.

The Warragundi Project

The Warragundi Soil Carbon Project is a 3,800-hectare project, sitting within the wider Warragundi Aggregation, sprawling across 8,547 hectares of farmland in the Central Tablelands region of NSW. The Warragundi Aggregation is owned and managed by Bettergrow, part of the Borg group of companies. 

Bettergrow is an Australian leader in the recovery and remanufacturing of organic residuals, waste and by-products. By extracting maximum value from materials otherwise destined for landfill, Bettergrow transforms them into quality composts, fertilisers and bespoke soil rehabilitation products for resale.

Andrew Cheah, Head of Group Energy, stated the main reasons for undertaking a carbon farming project was to diversify their income whilst improving their yield of current farming produce.

We believe that the changes in the land management practices, from rotational grazing and the addition of compost to encouraging perennial grasses, will improve the soil quality and help sequester carbon. 

We’re hoping to see an improvement in soil health and microbial activity, which results in a more productive farm. The carbon certificates would also provide an additional alternative source of income.”

Andrew Cheah, Head of Group Energy 

The CFF’s flexible service model

The CFF’s flexible service model allows project holders to utilise as much, or as little, of our services as they would like depending on their business capacity for carbon farming.

Under our model, the farmer is responsible for the implementation and management of the carbon project. The CFF are the remote specialists who stick to the compliance, technical and process side of things. 

In the case of Bettergrow, with such an established operation already underway, we were able to provide assistance only where needed to lessen their workload by leaning on our expertise.

Having the CFF assist in this was fantastic. They were able to get different quotes and really look into the details of each of them and then advise on what third-party contractor would best work for us.”

Ben & Jasmin Fitzpatrick, Farm Managers at Bettergrow

Preparation is key

The CFF aims to make the baseline carbon sampling process as hassle-free as possible. We prioritise minimal impact on the farm manager’s business-as-usual operations with a straightforward, clearly outlined plan for contractors. However, no matter how much preparation you do, there are always unavoidable weather impacts!

(The baseline sampling) didn’t impact our normal farming operations as the drilling team worked independently. Weather played a part in some of our hurdles, but that is out of our control.”

Ben & Jasmin Fitzpatrick, Farm Managers at Bettergrow

The biggest hurdle of the job was a lot of boggy tracks due to heavy rainfall in the area leading up to the job. This meant that it was not always possible to get to the designated site, and reserve sites were often required to be used as a result.”

Todd Buck, CEO at Precision Agriculture

Bespoke planning

Precision Agriculture (PAPL) partnered with the CFF to collect 195 soil cores across the 3,800-hectare project area. PAPL is a soil-health business using technology to support farmers and industry throughout south-eastern Australia. Soil sampling is just one of PAPL’s services in their end-to-end service suite. 

For the Warragundi Carbon Project, the CFF undertook extensive mapping of the project area to develop a sampling plan that followed strict ERF requirements. With this plan in hand, PAPL could then implement it in accordance with the ACCU Scheme’s Soil Carbon Methodology.

What’s next?

Following an analysis of the soil samples to understand Warragundi’s baseline carbon stock and approval of the project with the Clean Energy Regulator, the project area can begin implementing eligible activities under the ERF’s Soil Carbon Method. 

The eligible activities that Bettergrow will implement include transitioning to compost and non-synthetic fertilisers to address nutrient deficiencies, alongside a focus on improving perennial pastures for their livestock operation and moving to a rotational grazing system to increase the carrying capacity of the pastures. 

Learn more about the ongoing management of a soil carbon project in our Soil Carbon Guide.  

Ready to find out more?

Explore our range of educational resources in our Carbon Farming Education Hub where we frequently publish educational articles, webinars, and guidebooks. 

When you’re ready to explore the feasibility of undertaking a carbon project on your property, email us at [email protected] or give us a bell at (08) 6835 1140 to be connected with one of our project facilitators.