The WA Government’s Western Australian Carbon Farming and Land Restoration Program is providing more than $2.15 million to farmers to capture carbon and build soil health while lifting business vitality.
Murray and Adele Grey’s Grazing Soil Carbon project at Yathroo, southwest of Moora, is among eight recipients from across the agricultural region to receive funding for carbon farming initiatives.
The $166,901 allocated to the Grey family will leverage co-investment to sequester carbon at depth – where it will become more secure and stable – and increase soil organic matter by extending grazing rest periods on tagasaste and pastures.
The funds will assist the family to lease land and install water points to increase stocking rates and grazing intensity of their cattle, without risking soil erosion. They will also be able to plant sub-tropical perennial plants, multi-species shelter belts and cover crops.
Other recipients are investing in soil amelioration using clay, compost and manure, mixed species legume fodder crops, revegetation, cell fencing and applications of synthetic calcium to encourage long-term deep root development.
Daraining Springs property will receive $348,140 for establishing fencing to aid cell grazing and planting permanent pastures, treated with synthetic calcium to aid deep root development, to mitigate soil erosion and improve carbon levels.
These activities will generate co-benefits, including improved soil health, agricultural productivity, salinity mitigation, biodiversity and conservation, and Aboriginal economic and cultural opportunities.
Together, the recipients’ projects span 26,390 hectares and will remove a projected 423,103 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent from the atmosphere over the next decade.