WA grain farmers a good fit in low-carbon future

David and Marnie Mackie have sustainability and profitability in mind as they enjoy a good grain growing season and gear up to launch their biggest carbon-farming project yet after receiving a generous government incentive. The New Norcia couple made headlines earlier this month when they hosted WA Agriculture Minister Alannah MacTiernan at their family farm, Undanooka, for the announcement of $1 million in broadacre carbon farming projects. The Mackies were one of three farming families to share in the continuation of the first round of the State Government’s $15m Carbon Farming and Land Restoration Program — worth $417,000 after six projects worth a total $3.2m were announced in January. In addition, 67 farmers from Binnu in the north to Esperance received vouchers of up to $10,000 to kickstart carbon soil projects. The Mackies plan to use their $155,000 cash boost to fund soil testing this year and to sow serradella legume species, a mix of canola and lupins, and a clover sub-storey crop to increase nitrogen fixation, root biomass and soil carbon next year. They already work to improve soil health and increase organic carbon through practices including using manure and crushed limestone, with the hope of reducing the use of chemical fertilisers that caused soil acidity. Soil health is an area David has had an interest in since his early days farming. The son of well-known Gilmac Hay founder Peter Mackie, David grew up on the family farm adjacent to the property he and Marnie now farm, at the site his father established the Gilmac Hay pressing plant in 1987. David started out managing some of the property before starting to lease family land and starting his own business — with Marnie — in 2015. The couple have two young children, William and Jeremy. The families run their own enterprises but still work together and share resources. David and Marnie have experimented with ways to boost soil carbon and increase the amount of organic matter for several years. David said he was ultimately trying to “mimic European topsoils” to bolster organic matter deeper than 10cm. “We have been doing a mixture of different methods of applying carbon rich nutrients... so pig manures and chicken manure compost, and carbon pellets through Carbon Ag and compost from C-wise,” David said. “As a hay exporter, we are removing a lot from the soil every year. “There is obvious root mass growing... but there is more I can do to help.” After doing some initial PH soil testing, David realised “how little depth” there was in soils — even the ones he thought were good. “The top 10cm was very nutrient and organic rich... you can see the colour in the soil, roots and straw,” he said. “But further down, the soil changes to either clay or sand. “So I have been trying to increase that depth, and how to improve the tillable, organic layer.” A Carbon Ag trial on his property in 2019 showed an encouraging return on investment of $160-$180 per hectare. Mr Mackie said the launch of the State Government grants — announced last year as a way to mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration — came at a good time for his business. “My main motivation for applying was knowing the costs of soil testing frequently... I wanted to see if there was any funding available to help my quest for knowledge in how I can increase that soil bucket and boost soil carbon,” he said. “I knew it wasn’t going to be a cheap process. “I knew it would go hand-in-hand with carbon sequestration if it worked.” The money will be used to research and plant legumes and cover crops, to diversify the Mackies’ planting regime next year. David described it as a “dream start to the season” this year, but said welcome rainfall had led to an influx of weeds. They seeded nearly 700ha of canola, about 420ha of barley, 400ha of wheat and about 1000ha of oaten hay this year. “Summer spraying continued right into knockdowns... we have done a double and at times triple knockdown,” David said. While they have avoided bogged tractors so far, some pockets of paddocks have been too wet —stifling crop growth. “The weather has mostly been perfect, a lot of rain and then enough sunshine,” David said. “But some areas (on the farm) were already wet from summer rain events, and they were just getting topped up. “It’s now too wet in those low-lying areas... but the vast majority of the land is just fantastic.” It’s a bit of a contrast to last year, when “spaced out rain” led to a much more moderate pace of farming. “It is all a juggle this year,” he said. “But I think the pace will translate into extra dollars at the end of the year.”