Huge congratulations to Carly and Grant Burnham of Bonnie Doone QLD. Both RCS Grazing for Profit® and ExecutiveLink® graduates, Carly and Grant Burnham, North Burnett graziers, have received a record-breaking 94,666 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) from the Clean Energy Regulator for their soil carbon farming project at Bonnie Doone QLD. This marks the largest allocation for an individual project in Australia. They partnered RCS’ sister company CarbonLink on this 5,275-hectare initiative in 2016.
Despite challenges like dry weather and fluctuating cattle prices, extensive testing confirmed that the Burnhams’ land management practices underpinned by key learnings from RCS, sequestered 126,222 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in their soils over five years. Carly Burnham, a grazier and carbon farmer, emphasised the project’s versatility across diverse landscapes and conditions, showing that soil carbon sequestration is a long-term process tied to ecology, production and principles taught in RCS programs RCS Grazing for Profit® and ExecutiveLink®.
Working closely with CarbonLink, and employing RCS principles, Carly and Grant implemented various practices to enhance soil conditions at Bonnie Doone, including paddock subdivision, adjusted grazing periods, more water points, and time-controlled grazing software.
RCS Founder and CarbonLink Chairman Dr. Terry McCosker OAM hailed Bonnie Doone as an Australian benchmark for soil carbon farming, encouraging other landowners to take similar climate-positive actions. He noted that the Burnhams’ project had not only reduced CO2 emissions but also made their beef carbon negative, burying 6.6t of CO2 for every tonne of livestock, while adding 47,000 tonnes of soil organic carbon and increasing soil water capacity by 283,000 tonnes.
Dr. McCosker emphasised the potential for landowners to improve soil health, generate income, and contribute to a healthier planet.
In Summary
- Carly and Grant Burnham, graduates of RCS Grazing for Profit® and ExecutiveLink®, achieved a record-breaking allocation of 94,666 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) from the Clean Energy Regulator for their soil carbon farming project at Bonnie Doone, QLD.
- This achievement marks the largest allocation for an individual project in Australia and was accomplished in partnership with RCS’ sister company CarbonLink on a 5,275-hectare initiative that began in 2016.
- Despite facing challenges such as dry weather and fluctuating cattle prices, extensive testing confirmed that the Burnhams’ land management practices, guided by principles learned from RCS programs, sequestered an impressive 126,222 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in their soils over a span of five years.
- Carly Burnham, a grazier and carbon farmer, highlighted the project’s adaptability across diverse landscapes and conditions, underscoring the long-term nature of soil carbon sequestration and its connection to ecology, production, and RCS principles.
- By working closely with CarbonLink and implementing various practices informed by RCS principles, Carly and Grant improved soil conditions at Bonnie Doone, including paddock subdivision, adjusted grazing periods, more water points, and time-controlled grazing software, ultimately making their beef production carbon negative, reducing CO2 emissions, and enhancing soil health.