Carbon flow is crucial for a healthy landscape

But how many landholders truly understand the mechanics of carbon flow within their landscape.

That was the topic addressed by Dr Susan Orgill, senior scientific advisor - soil science and farming systems - with Select Carbon Pty Ltd, during the Soils for Life field day at Bibbaringa, Bowna last Wednesday.

"It is really about managing the flow of carbon through a landscape rather than managing total carbon stocks,' Dr Orgill said.

"So we are thinking about what practices can maximise photosynthesis, are we getting more carbon accumulating in biomass and turning into soil, and then maximising the amount of time that carbon be in the soil."

Dr Orgill said practices like maximising ground cover, promoting soil structure and recognising that carbon flowing from the soil is a really natural process.

"It is the process of organic matter cycling that actually provides the benefits of productivity," she said.

"The carbon needs to leave the soil as well for it to be functioning so that we can get supply nutrients and enhance soil structure and provide the benefits from carbon other than just carbon trading."

Dr Orgill said landholders, when looking at their landscape need to appreciate that carbon is an 'add-on', not a 'trade-off'.

"First and foremost it should be about maximising plant productivity in the landscape and that carbon is the add-on benefit that you get," she said.

Tony Hill, Land to Market Australia, asked the question - How do we know if we are truly regenerative?

"It is a matter of trust between the producer and the consumer," he said.

"They trust that the food they are buying is healthy, and you are trusting they are happy to pay for it."

One way in which landholders can engage in confirming that trust is through Ecological Outcome Verification.

"Ecological Outcome Verification has been carefully designed to allow cost-effective, but robust monitoring of the ecological health of production farmland, for the first time in human history," Mr hill said.

"Under EOV, short term annual monitoring is based on visual assessment of 15 indicators, that have been carefully selected to give regular indication of the core ecosystem processes and biodiversity.

"These indicators show farmers where there are particular pressure points in their paddocks and where management is achieving healthy and improving ecosystem processes."

Mr Hill said assessment of leading indicators through our short term monitoring is supported by more intensive assessment of lagging indicators under long term monitoring that is carried our on a five year cycle.

Peter Richardson, CEO Maia Grazing, took the visitors through the 15 years of data collected on Bibbaringa, and how the principals of good grazing management have been of enormous benefit to Gill Sanbrook, at Bibbaringa, both financially and ecologically.

David Hardwick, is a partner in Soil Land Food based in Albury, and he said his job was to convince people that their land is a valuable asset beyond mere monetary worth.

"Monitor your soil on a regular basis," he advised.

"Soils are self-organising, but it is what you do that can assist or hinder your soil."

Gill Sanbrook said she is passionate about building resilience into her landscape at Bibbaringa.

"I'm like an artist - every mark I make on the landscape is making it better," she said.

"Keeping the water in the landscape benefits everyone, not just me here at Bibbaringa."