AGRIBUSINESS GrainCorp has teamed up with a business that helps Australian grain growers boost soil carbon levels.
GrainCorp will work with Loam Bio in a joint project where GrainCorp customers are given access to Loam Bio's soil carbon inoculum technology.
Loam Bio's co-founder Tegan Nock said the product was being used in work with growers this year in barley and canola crops with a wheat product currently in development.
The product is a seed containing beneficial microbes.
"The exact make-up of the seed dressing formulation varies from crop to crop but the principles are the same," Ms Nock said.
The seed dressing is made up of endophytes, microbes that live in and around plant roots, to grow and this in turn allows more carbon to be captured within the soil.
"It's basically supercharging what plants do already in terms of capturing carbon in the soil and also stopping that quick re-entry back into the atmosphere you see under certain conditions."
Trial research has showed around a five percent year on year improvement in soil carbon levels.
"Very real carbon gains come when you continue to build on the gains over multiple growing seasons.
"This also helps to manage the volatility in levels you can sometimes see in Australian conditions," Ms Nock said.
She said the best trial results had come on soils that had average or better carbon levels to begin with but added it had proved effective on the majority of soil types.
"We've seen a response in around 80 per cent of soils, which is a great result, especially when you consider much of Australia's cropping belt has soils with relatively low carbon levels."
She said most farmers had initially showed interest in the product due to wanting to improve their soil health, but recently there has been an acknowledgement of the possibility of adding a new income stream through the carbon market.
"We're definitely seeing more interest in the opportunities in carbon and farmers are also more comfortable that it is going to be something that is around for the long haul."
She welcomed the opportunity work with GrainCorp.
"Working with GrainCorp will help us to ensure a smooth pathway for growers to build their soil carbon and access the carbon market.
"This season, we are working with growers to plant barley and canola crops that have been inoculated with our novel soil carbon fixing technology, across 1,500 hectares in New South Wales and Victoria."
GrainCorp's chief innovation and growth officer Jesse Scott said the pilot program is part of the company's broader strategy to build a sustainable future for the agriculture industry.
"We're excited about the potential of Loam Bio's technology not only to improve soil health and resilience in a volatile climate, but also to help growers capture value by diversifying their revenue streams," Mr Scott said.
Ms Nock said along with delivering outcomes in the paddock, the company needed to provide a farmer friendly way to access carbon markets.
"As the carbon markets quickly evolve and expand, we want to make sure they do so in a 'farmer-first' way."
"This program enables us to collaborate with GrainCorp to deliver potential mechanisms for farmers to generate and be paid for carbon credits."