In a region rich in agricultural assets, long regarded as ‘the food bowl of Victoria’, the Goulburn valley is home to some of the state’s most enviable parcels of prime, fertile production land for growing and grazing.
This knowledge has long since been among the key forces driving the services offered by independently owned businesses, like IK Calwell AGnVET; who deliver an extensive range of on-farm agronomic consulting and advisory services throughout the greater Goulburn Valley and beyond.
The business’s ethos: ‘To simplify, translate and transparently communicate, with integrity and the objective to provide all clients with the best opportunity to achieve the maximum success possible in their businesses,’ was the ultimate driving force behind the recent appointment of the company’s new branch manager, Emil Somers, who brings a new level of invaluable knowledge not only to the business, but to the entire agricultural sector across the region.
Having spent many years working in roles such as Carbon Project Adviser with Carbon Neutral, Emil has gained a wealth of experience in the application of the federal Government’s partnership with the Clean Energy Regulator and the Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) initiative.
Emil said, “The current incentives are enabling regional farmers to capitalise on the growing demand from large-scale fossil fuel operators, seeking to offset their carbon footprint, which is great news in terms of the opportunities that creates in applying diversified income approach to on-farm trial projects.
“The benefits to operators include exposure to new innovation, new technologies and opportunities to take part in new trials.
“We aspire to provide our customers with the most current, relevant advice and insights into carbon legislation, to enable our customers to take advantage of potential funding available via ACCU credits to support better on-farm soil results across the agriculture industry.”
The ACCU Scheme allows farmers to generate income through projects that reduce emissions or store carbon, including carbon farming, reforestation, and improved agricultural practices. These credits are then sold to high-emitting industries required to purchase them under the safeguard mechanism or to meet voluntary climate targets.
Emil’s expertise is now available and farmers across the region are invited to tap into this resource and use the opportunity to gain valuable insight into the process of registration for current and upcoming soil trial projects.
