Thomas Foods International continues its carbon farming growth to meet consumer and market expectations

Net emissions reduction is key to market competitiveness

For producers, carbon farming presents opportunities to improve natural capital, farm productivity, reduce current emissions, and add potential income streams through carbon offsets such as Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). Thomas Foods International (TFI), in collaboration with IntegrityAg, joined the PIRSA Growing Farming Demonstration Pilot Program to progress a series of carbon sequestration projects at its Mount Schanck Station cattle weaner enterprise such as pasture restoration, designed to be the cornerstone of its ACCU soil carbon project registration to demonstrate clear net emissions reduction. Reducing net emissions on farm is an important element supporting TFI’s market access and maintaining competitiveness. Exporting red meat into premium markets, like the USA, requires TFI to demonstrate their environmental footprint to ensure they are meeting changing consumer and market expectations.

Growing Farming Demonstration Pilot

Carbon farming encompasses landscape and livestock management activities, which help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from livestock and fertilisers, as well as the continued enhancement of carbon sequestration (the process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere) in soil (paddocks and pastures) and in vegetation (pastures and tree plantings). Cattle weaner enterprises like Mount Schanck, which runs 2,500 breeding cows as well as 10,000 composite sheep, typically display a slightly higher carbon footprint when compared to those with finished cattle. At this early stage in the supply chain, weaners require a longer growth period to reach market weight. Therefore, weaner stock are less efficient and will require more feed than older, finished cattle resulting in a higher carbon footprint (emissions per kg of live weight).   After establishing a carbon account, the project included the completion of a carbon footprint analysis and registration with the ACCU scheme.

Proving its worth from the start

A pasture restoration program was developed for Mount Schanck’s grazing land by IntegrityAg, aimed at transitioning from annual species to perennial species, as well as a combined fertiliser strategy to address soil imbalances and nutritional deficiencies. Utilising the draft Climate Active Tree Planting Insetting Guideline, TFI prepared a planting schedule for 2024-2025 that would utilise shelterbelts with mixed environmental plantings to accomplish their restoration targets. Eight hectares will be planted in 2025, with additional planting annually, aiming for a density of 1,000 p/ha and continually increasing carbon sequestration. The main project elements that were made possible through the Pilot Program include:

• Whole of enterprise carbon account and carbon footprinting
• The establishment of two land use carbon projects; one focused on soil health through pasture work and livestock rotation and another focused on environmental plantings
• Utilisation of mapping technology (GIS) for the Carbon Estimation Areas (CEA) following 2021 Soil Carbon Methodology, providing a more in depth understanding of the land use end requirements.
• Pre-baseline and baseline soil carbon sampling and lab testing

These activities supported TFI in the development of both a Land Management Strategy and a Carbon Emissions Baseline on their Mount Schanck station, allowing them to generate carbon credits toward their business in the future. There is ongoing opportunity for TFI to continue increasing carbon sequestration through additional planting of 2.5ha annually between 2026 and 2030, with detailed plans still in development. Mount Schanck Station will experience numerous benefits from both the soil and environmental plantings projects outside of the ACCU scheme, such as increased on-farm productivity through improved soil fertility, increased erosion control, biodiversity and livestock shelter.

Benefits beyond

Ongoing soil sampling will be conducted approximately every five years in accordance with the 2021 Soil Carbon methodology used for the projects to measure any observable changes in the carbon levels, as well as a range of other soil health factors. There will be different timelines for each project as well.  With tree planting, it is a long-term process of 10 to 15 years. From a shelter perspective, there's will be instant benefits in terms of biodiversity in the next two to three years once these trees get established. In terms of the production benefits on farm, it is a short to medium term project in terms of the pasture development.

Mount Shank property Manager Nathan Reid said TFI are further looking at initiatives to develop. “There are still little things that we can do to keep improving. We learned a lot about what trees and biodiversity are actually doing for us in terms of the pasture health. We're all trying to find ways and means of reducing our carbon output, so any little thing we can do is a step forward”.