Carbon Farming Outreach Program

Empowering landholders to plan for their carbon future

The Carbon Farming Outreach Program ran from April 2024 – April 2026. This training assisted almost 8,500 Victorian farmers to understand their emissions and the benefits of carbon farming. When carefully planned, carbon farming can have the added benefits of increasing productivity, biodiversity, resilience to drought and can provide additional income sources. At the same time, carbon farming can reduce emissions on farms and absorb greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere.

Working together with Agriculture Victoria and the ten regional Catchment Management Authorities, this program delivered 143 training events tailored to audiences. This included five community of practice sessions for Landcare Professionals. As we move towards a low carbon future, this training provided an opportunity to learn more about carbon farming. It also provides resources summarising the best available information to address the needs of land managers and support ongoing learning.

This free training covered:

the benefits of carbon farming
how to identify and understand your emissions
how to begin carbon activities that suit your land and goals
navigating carbon credit markets
opportunities to earn carbon credits and income

Reports

The Victorian Carbon Farming Outreach Program final report

This report outlines the successes and learnings of the Victorian Carbon Farming Outreach Program. This program delivered 143 events to an audience of almost 8,500 people.

Resources

Carbon and Low Emissions Farming Glossary (Aug 2025)

Find the definitions for technical terms used when discussing sustainable agriculture and low emissions farming.

Fact sheet: Digging into soil carbon

Learn more about carbon and soil.

Fact sheet: Understanding carbon farming

Introduction to carbon farming activities.

Fact sheet: Understanding your emissions

Introduction to calculating on-farm emissions.

Webinars

Understanding carbon farming

This webinar was the first in a series as a part of our Carbon Farming Outreach Program. Working together with Agriculture Victoria and the ten regional Catchment Management Authorities, the program is working to assist Victorian farmers to understand their emissions and the benefits of carbon farming. This program is the first of its kind and together we’re working to deliver more than 130 tailored training events to the needs of local audiences across the state. This webinar includes insights from Cam Nicholson and Ag Vic experts Graeme Anderson and Anja George. You can watch a recording of the webinar on YouTube.

Talking trees

Trees do a lot more than just take root. Trees on farms improve biodiversity, enhance soils, and sequester carbon all while improving farm productivity and health. In this webinar, featuring farmers and experts from Ag Vic, learn more about how trees can benefit your farm while being used to generate additional revenue through agroforestry, carbon farming, or biodiversity markets. Watch a recording of the webinar on our YouTube channel.

Planning for your farm's future

Creating sustainable, profitable farms doesn’t happen overnight. It takes years of planning. This webinar features AgVic expert Alison Kelly, to answer the question "now what?" and share actions being taken across the state to lower on-farm emissions while remaining productive and profitable. Alison is joined by Victorian farmers Joel Chambers and Angela Higgins, who talk through the actions they’re taking now and plan to take in the future, to adapt and thrive. Watch the webinar now on our YouTube channel.

Exploring the future of sustainable farms and landscapes

Nature-based markets for carbon and biodiversity are opening opportunities for profitable and sustainable farming, but these markets are just one factor to consider when thinking about your farm’s future in the wider landscape. Two landcare networks have been considering their landscape futures for the Heytesbury district and Kiewa-Wodonga districts. Learn how the New Future’s process has helped them explore a range of partnerships, pools of capital and local leadership to help plan and shape the future of their landscapes. Join experts and landcarers to explore the opportunities the future could hold for low emissions or sustainable food and fiber on farm and across landscapes. Watch the webinar now on our YouTube channel.

Digging into soil carbon

There’s a lot to dig into with soils so this webinar looks at the science of healthy soils, how to best use soil tests and practical examples of how you can build soil carbon to increase productivity and drought resilience. Complementing our Carbon Farming Outreach Program, this is the first of five webinars in 2025, designed to look deeper at carbon farming and how it can complement your on-farm goals for sustainable farming now and into the future. This is part of an ongoing series of events, including free, sector relevant local training – see what’s available near via the calendar above. You can watch a recording of the webinar on YouTube.

Calculating on-farm emissions

Nationally and internationally, governments and companies are making net zero commitments, driving demand for low emissions agricultural products. Understanding your on-farm emissions can help you access emerging markets, understand on-farm opportunities and increase your productivity, all while improving the environment. Calculating your on-farm emissions is the first step in considering how your farm can be sustainable in years to come. Watch the webinar on our YouTube channel now.

Funding trees and biodiversity

Trees and biodiversity can increase your on-farm productivity, but it’s not free to put trees in the ground. Carbon and biodiversity markets are opening up new possibilities for planting and protecting our native environments. This webinar looks at different options to fund sustainability on your farm. Watch the webinar on our YouTube channel now.

Fencing farm dams

Healthy dams and wetlands can increase on-farm productivity, biodiversity, livestock health and water security. When properly managed, they can also store carbon from our atmosphere, known as teal carbon. This webinar brought together experts and landcarers to explore why you should give a damn about your farm dams. Watch the webinar on our YouTube channel now.

Frequently asked questions

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What is carbon farming?

Carbon farming is a term for human actions that lead to the storage of carbon in the natural environment. As emissions continue to rise it’s becoming more important than ever that we sequester carbon from the atmosphere. Plants absorb carbon through photosynthesis, this is the cleanest and most readily available way to remove greenhouse gases from our atmosphere. This has led many companies to start looking for ways to offset their own emissions through carbon credits earned through carbon farming. Carbon farming activities can include:

Planting or protecting native vegetation or engaging in agroforestry
Using soil to store carbon through strategic tillage, pasture management and changes to fertilising
Reducing livestock emissions through changes to grazing management, the management of effluent or reducing methane through diet changes
Allowing vegetation and organisms in the ocean to absorb ‘blue carbon’ which can be done by restoring wetlands, saltmarsh, seagrass or mangroves
First Nations traditional ecological practices such as cultural burnings

As your carbon project continues, ongoing monitoring allows you to earn carbon credits for every ton of carbon dioxide (or its equivalent e.g. methane from cows) not emitted or removed from the atmosphere.

What are carbon credits?

Australian carbon credit units (ACCU) are the value given to one ton of carbon dioxide (or its equivalent e.g. methane from livestock) from certified carbon farming projects. As many companies move towards net zero emission targets these credits are becoming incredibly sought after and are sold through the Carbon Market. This is one of the longest continual carbon markets in the world and is supported by the Clean Energy Regulator. This works much the same as a regular stock market with the value of carbon credits rising or falling based on supply and demand.

More information

For more information on this project, please contact [email protected].

Delivered with funding support from the Commonwealth of Australia through the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water under the Carbon Farming Outreach Program.