Great Southern farms benefit from latest round of State Government carbon farming voucher program

Seven Great Southern farms were among the 43 recipients of carbon farming vouchers announced by the State Government this week. Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis travelled to Ocean Beach cattle farm Hallowell Springs on Monday to announce the second round recipients of the Carbon for Farmers vouchers. The initiative is designed to encourage more WA landowners to carry out activities that can store carbon, such as soil carbon sequestration and re-vegetating areas, to help offset harmful emissions. Grazing and cropping operations in the shires of Denmark, Cranbrook, Kojonup, Plantagenet and Kent were all named as successful recipients, as were two in the City of Albany. Ms Jarvis said encouraging farmers to take part in carbon farming efforts was “a game changer”. “It will not only help WA farmers make their operations more sustainable, but potentially more profitable through the generation of tradable carbon credits,” she said. The vouchers are valued at up to $15,000 and can be put towards a range of carbon farming approaches. At Hallowell Springs, which is 10 minutes east of Denmark, Nigel Sinclair and his daughter Laura will be investigating re-vegetation options on unproductive areas of their property. Warren-Blackwood MLA Jane Kelsbie joined Ms Jarvis for the announcement. She said she was looking forward to seeing how the vouchers helped transform the operations of recipients. “Farming practices are constantly evolving in WA and these vouchers are helping our dairy farmers diversify and adapt to the challenges of climate change,” she said. More than $500,000 worth of vouchers have been allocated in the latest round and more than 100 vouchers have been given out in the programs first 18 months.