The Cool Soil Initiative
The Cool Soil Initiative is a paddock to product partnership, working with grain growers through regional farming systems groups (FSGs) to test and validate management practices that can then mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on-farm, to support the ongoing sustainability, productivity, and profitability of farming enterprises.
Examples include:
On-farm demonstration projects that validate the soil and GHG impacts/benefits from different practices
Peer-to-peer learning to increase uptake on leading practices across the regions
Effective, validated tool to measure GHG emissions from Australian cropping farmers that is connected into global grain production, commodity markets and food manufacturing.
Cool Soil Vision
Helping to future-proof the Aussie grains industry against a changing climate and evolving marketplace.
What are the benefits for Farmers?
The benefits include:
Mitigating risk by proactively working to reduce GHG on farm, and improve the sustainability of farming practices
Access to financial support for innovation and trials of new practices
Data to support on-farm decision making – improve productivity and profitability
Support and engagement from FSGs and soil scientists
Access to research project findings to support practice
Reduced on-farm GHG
Use of Cool Farm Tool to measure and validate on-farm GHG emissions reductions
To register your interest contact Cat Worner, CWFS on 0488 032 368 or email cat.worner@dpi.nsw.gov.au. You can also download this booklet for more information.
CWFS ‘Cool Soil Initiative’ Meeting at The Fettell Centre
CWFS held its Cool Soil Initiative meeting on Thursday, 18 March at The Fettell Centre, Condobolin, with a number of local farmers and industry stakeholders. This Project was initially piloted by Mars Petcare and the US-based Sustainable Food Lab (SFL) in 2017 with two farming systems groups, CWFS in the central west and Riverine Plains in the south. It was designed by Mars Incorporated as part of a global commitment to reduce the environmental impacts of their business, specifically through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
CWFS has worked with Mars and local growers with great success – from a small beginning with a handful of growers to now with 35 local growers involved in the project. As a way of encouraging participation and showing appreciation for growers’ time, the project provides complimentary soil tests each year along with technical support for interpreting results. Through the use of the ‘Cool Farm Tool’ (a specifically designed online calculator) growers are able to understand the impact of their management practices and also use different scenarios or “what-if” options to see how things could have played out.
The Cool Soil Initiative has gained even more momentum and now welcomes major Australian manufacturers, Kellogg’s, Manildra Group, and Allied Pinnacle, as well as leading researchers at Charles Sturt University to form a collaborative Food Agility Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) project with a $2million+ commitment to help grow the program over the next three years.
The CWFS meeting provided a great opportunity our local growers to learn more about the project and hear from Dr Cassie Schefe, AgriSci Pty Ltd; Paul Schoullar, Strategic Sourcing Manager, Mars Petcare; Peter Sloan and Grant Williams, Grain buyers, Manildra Group; Jonathan Medway, Spatial Agricultural Specialist, CSU; Majella Nolan, Food Agility CRC.
The Cool Soil Initiative helps farmers collaborate more closely with researchers and manufacturers to better understand the part they all play towards sustainable and profitable farming practices.
If anyone would like more information on how to be involved in this project, please contact Diana Fear at CWFS on diana.fear@dpi.nsw.gov.au.
