No credits yet, but carbon-friendly regime pays at Bingara, Australia

Hugh McMurtrie admits he has spent plenty of time doubting, or ignoring, the sales talk about the carbon credit rewards on offer from soil carbon development projects. Then he realised he was probably already on the carbon-building bandwagon, anyway. The grazing management regime on the McMurtrie family's northern NSW Angus-Wagyu beef enterprise south of Bingara had been moving towards smaller paddock sizes and faster stock grazing rotations for more than a decade. Carrying capacity had subsequently increased as pasture utilisation improved, particularly on ridges and hilly country. Grazing pressure spread out, too, no longer concentrated on the traditional "sweet spot" arable soils. Pasture recovery rates were also generally better, suggesting the soil's moisture holding capability was improving, quite possibly thanks to increasing soil carbon content. "Our current grazing management style and the way we've been heading has probably already lifted our carbon levels," he said. ...