The CFF has joined forces with Wide Open Agriculture to bring carbon farming opportunities to WOA’s Dirty Clean Food supply chain members.
Wide Open Agriculture (WOA) is trailblazing the Australian agriculture industry within their extensive supply chain of regenerative farming members.
As a certified carbon neutral business, WOA was looking to extend their engagement with the farmers that supply Dirty Clean Food (DCF) by purchasing carbon credits directly from them to offset their emissions and enhance the financial resilience of their farmers.
The Carbon Farming Foundation (CFF) undertook an extensive feasibility study to show how carbon farming could profit both WOA’s supply chain members and WOA’s own carbon neutrality.
First off the block is Warren Pensini from Blackwood Valley Beef!
Warren Pensini, of Blackwood Valley Beef, is the first DCF member to be registered under the Clean Energy Regulator (CER) for a native tree carbon project. In a recent interview, Warren chatted to Christie Stewart, WOA’s Regenerative Farmer Coordinator, about the carbon farming journey so far.
The initial proposal was to do a 200-hectare tree carbon project, and we put our hand up and said, we’ve got 40 hectares, let’s kick it off with that!
Warren Pensini
Warren’s carbon project will provide his farming business an additional income stream, add credibility to his already established regenerative beef operation, and feed into the carbon neutrality stance that WOA encapsulates.
We will view the majority of the carbon credits as superannuation, we’re not intending to trade them at this point. Most of those credits we will just bank and they’ll be there for our kids.
The CFF has been really supportive around getting the project up and running. We’ve done it as a low-cost model, which was attractive obviously from our perspective, as the fees weren’t too high, especially with the support of Wide Open Agriculture.”
Getting the Project off the Ground
The CFF provided a tailored feasibility report and accompanying heatmaps, outlining recommendations that would help Warren and WOA establish the project to achieve maximum success.
The CFF provided ongoing technical support throughout project registration with the CER, as well as additional connections to funding opportunities and a network of vetted sub-contractors. This is all part of our DIY Service Model, where clients can opt for a low-cost service model or a full-service agreement.
The process is not simple in terms of putting a proposal into the CER. To be honest, I would’ve struggled to do it on my own, so yeah, their support’s been invaluable in terms of getting that over the line.”
Wide Open Agriculture is looking to support their supply chain members with an upfront cost-share agreement to establish a carbon project. This will allow their members to get their project up and running and reap the rewards from the growing carbon market.
With the majority of suppliers in the carbon farming field at the moment, they can be taking up to 30 – 40% of the ACCUs. I just don’t think it’s viable for the majority of farmers, particularly if they’re also paying for all their establishment and upfront costs. So yeah, absolutely it [this opportunity] made it a lot more attractive to get on board with a carbon project.”
Keen to get onboard the carbon farming train?
If you’re a Dirty Clean Food supply chain member, get in contact with Christie Stewart (christie.s@wideopenagriculture.com.au) to explore your opportunity for a carbon farming project.
Not a DCF farmer and want to learn more about the carbon farming opportunity?
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 hello@carbonfarming.org.au or give us a bell at (08) 6835 1140 to be connected with one of our project facilitators.
