Located in Mourilyan on the Cassowary Coast of Queensland, the property is owned and operated by Joe and Margaret Marano, prominent figures in the North Queensland sugar cane industry. Joe grew up around cane farming and spent years driving cane harvesters before purchasing farmland from his family. Joe and Margaret raised two children on the property, and today, their son Daniel works full-time on the property and their daughter Hayley works there on weekends. Together, the Maranos manage the 425-hectare property with a little seasonal assistance from part-time employees.

In 2021, the Maranos partnered with GreenCollar to work on a Nitrogen Use Efficiency Project. This was one of the pilot projects to explore how a successful Reef Credit project could work for the cane industry. The goal of the project is to help reduce Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen (DIN) levels in waterways and ultimately, in the Great Barrier Reef. The project covers around 290 hectares of the property and generates Reef Credits based on annual land management changes that reduce nutrient run-off.

While adopting the new initiatives, the Maranos continue to farm sugar cane, remaining committed to the industry. They have introduced wider cane row spacing to help reduce compaction caused by the harvesting equipment. They are trialling the use of permanent beds on their fields, using minimum tillage to further reduce their environmental impact and improve soil health. The Maranos have also added GPS guidance systems to machinery on the property. These systems help to reduce the number of passes required to cover an area, decreasing both compaction and operating costs.

Joe is a strong advocate for the cane industry, serving on several local and state Canegrower committees. In the past, he and his family have been involved in numerous projects and government programs to help improve water quality for the Great Barrier Reef, at significant cost to his own business. “Adopting new, environmentally friendly practices isn’t easy as it’s complex to maintain sugar cane yields,” says Joe. “It’s not as simple as reducing fertiliser”. Through land management changes, the Maranos have been able to make substantial improvements to environmental conditions. The Reef Credits, in turn, have helped the family sustain their business during poor seasons and in the future, Joe would like to upgrade machinery on the property to help futureproof his business.

Joe wanted to see how Reef Credits could help others stay in the sugar industry to ensure that it thrives and becomes more profitable. “I want cane to be a sustainable business choice for my kids,” says Joe. “So they don’t have to do work elsewhere to survive.”

Adrian Darveniza, a fourth-generation sugarcane grower, has been running his South Johnstone farm for the past decade with his wife and three sons. Located in the Cassowary Coast Region of Queensland, the property covers 266 hectares, of which 235 hectares are dedicated to sugarcane.

Sugarcane farming requires careful nutrient management and synthetic nitrogen-rich fertilisers often aid crop growth. Interested in reducing nitrogen usage, Adrian partnered with GreenCollar on a Reef Credits project in 2021.

As part of project requirements, Adrian trialled a reduction in fertiliser use and found that it did not cause a loss in production. Changes to established farming practices carry inherent risk and as Adrian explains, “you don’t want to reduce your production of cane, so seeing that our changes in fertiliser usage weren’t impacting production was good news.”

In addition to reducing fertiliser use, Adrian changed the row spacing of sugarcane and introduced crop rotation.

These changes are paying dividends, as Adrian has been able to reduce overheads, maintain productivity and gain supplemental income from the Reef Credit project. He has also seen an improvement to soil quality and long-term health. Switching crops helps break pest cycles and allows Adrian to increase time between cane replanting, decreasing both overheads and soil disturbance. “Fallowing means that we can replant every six to seven years instead of the usual cycle of every four to five years,” Adrian says. “That means less time in the tractor, less fuel being used, less soil runoff, and less carbon released from the soil.”

Nallan Station lies around 400km north-east of Geraldton in Western Australia, about halfway between Perth and the Karijini National Park. Amongst some of the oldest granite rocks in the world, the station sits on rich red ranges, dotted with vast fields of shrublands.

Formerly known as Poplar Downs, Nallan Station has a long history as a grazing enterprise, with the original homestead built over 100 years ago. Nallan is an Aboriginal word for ‘good eating’, most likely referring to when Lake Nallan is full and the wildlife plentiful. Catherine and Dave Marett purchased the property in 2016 with a vision of holistic management practices at the helm of their decision making, currently running 200-300 Drought Master / Angus Cross cattle across the property.

Historically, Nallan Station’s native flora had been suppressed by consistent long-term grazing of both stock and feral animals. The Marett’s decided to take action and the Western Australian Rangelands Conservation Initiative was registered in 2018. Over time, the project will regenerate over 37,000ha of native forest and shrublands, providing critical ecosystem services in the Murchison region, as well as habitat for the abundant birdlife of the Carnarvon basin.

The Marett’s continually work towards controlling the feral goat and donkey populations, managing them in a humane manner. To reduce and control grazing pressure, they have decentralised watering points and built trap yards at them, capable of trapping both feral and domestic stock. Furthermore, the station’s infrastructure and fencing has been upgraded in order to implement a rotational grazing regime. This assists the Marett’s to manage the timing and extent of grazing, allowing the native vegetation to regenerate and, ultimately increase biodiversity.

Nallan is a family-owned business and Cath and Dave adopt a “hands-on approach” with their family and local employees they employ as necessary. This creates flow-on benefits to local communities, helping to build a more resilient and sustainable future.

Nallan also operates as an accredited Station Stay, providing visitors from all over the world the opportunity to experience Station life. With waterways that are often home to finches, native pigeons, pink and grey galahs, parrots and swans, Nallan provides visitors with an opportunity for internationally renowned bird watching.

Moreover, visitors can explore local geographical wonders, like the rocky granite outcrops, and camp in remote areas with uninterrupted stargazing, all while being immersed in the natural surroundings that are being enriched by the regeneration project.

Since 2018, Rachael and Brendan Litchfield have been running a carbon project at Blue Hills near Cobar, New South Wales. According to them, the project allows them “to make Blue Hills a functional, profitable and ethical farm whilst leaving our land in a better condition for the next generations.”

The income from the project has provided the Litchfields with better financial security, allowing them to make significant improvements to the property. “Coming out the other side of the drought with no stock, no feed, was rough,” they say. “So to be able to get back on our feet, and now, having the carbon income earmarked as money to fix things, we can improve things. It’s truly a life-changer to our farming practices.”

The Litchfields have upgraded fence lines to allow for stock rotations and prevent overstocking of project areas, and they regularly remove goats from the landscape to alleviate environmental damage.

They are working to add firebreaks to protect their carbon farming area, which in turn, protects the stock and feed across the property. With the additional income they have also been able to hire a local employee, reducing their workload and improving efficiency.

Though the project has only been running for a few years, the Litchfields have noticed that even in the drier times, the vegetation quickly bounces back thanks to better management. For the Litchfields, the carbon project has enabled them to improve their land by making simple and practical changes to their farming practices. “Brendan and I feel with the carbon income’s help, the improvements we can make will endure,” says Rachael. The Litchfields believe that their children will continue farming at Blue Hills, taking over “something that will be in a better condition than when we bought it.”

Sturt Vale Station is located in the beautiful north-eastern pastoral district of South Australia. Covering some 137,255 hectares, Sturt Vale comprises five separate properties: Sturt Vale, Wyndale, Alexandrina, Fordes Lagoon, and Aldermans. The properties are owned and run by Sturt Vale Pastoral, third generation pastoralists who manage sheep, goats and cattle at the station.

Sturt Vale measures an average annual rainfall of only 208mm, making water one of the most precious and vital resources in the area. With a keen interest in developing a robust business while improving the land and preserving its resources, Sturt Vale Pastoral committed to a carbon project in 2021.

As a result of the carbon project, Sturt Vale Pastoral has been able to make infrastructure improvements and adopt rotational grazing practices at the station. They have installed 200 km of fencing to manage total grazing pressure, as well as 15 dam yards/goat traps and 40 km of piping for new water points. The group has been able to source materials from local suppliers as well as employ people from the local community. The landholders also have a long-term station manager, a station hand and various contractors for fencing and mustering.

While the carbon project is still in its infancy, Sturt Vale Pastoral has already seen improvements on the property. New rotational grazing practices coupled with the additional fencing, have already resulted in better vegetation regrowth. The landholders have also observed improvements to soil condition and groundcover, as well as an increase in insect and bird populations.

Sturt Vale Pastoral has plans to completely fence the project area in order to better control total grazing pressure. They also plan to increase water reticulation across the station and upgrade their working yards. Sturt Vale Pastoral is using the carbon project as an opportunity to improve infrastructure and facilitate regrowth and regeneration at the station.

For over twenty years, Helen and Waldo Ponder have been operating a merino sheep enterprise at their Avondale property. Located in Bourke, NSW, the Ponders describe it as “a beautiful part of the world”, home to a wealth of native flora, including strands of large gidgee trees, huge supplejack trees and leopardwood trees with their spotted bark. The native vegetation attracts a host of birdlife and the Ponders have enjoyed spotting willie wagtails, bee-eaters, wrens, galahs, cockatoos, budgies, ringneck and mulga parrots, as well as brolgas and black swans during wet seasons.

The Ponders started a carbon project at Avondale in 2021, intending to use the supplemental income to make property improvements to better manage their livestock and the native vegetation. The Ponders have adopted rotational grazing practices at Avondale, allowing the land to recover and regrow after grazing.

Using funds from the carbon project, the Ponders have built a seven kilometre pipeline to provide a more reliable water supply for four paddocks at Avondale. To help manage stock movement, new trap yards have also been completed near one watering point. The Ponders are already planning for future infrastructure improvements, including additional trap yards, upgraded watering points and updated fencing.

The Witherspoon family have been active in the Cape York cattle industry since the 1960s. Today, Iain and Kate Witherspoon manage York Downs Station on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland. Covering 130,000 hectares, it is home to Iain, Kate and their young children. The Witherspoons manage a herd of Brahman cattle at York Downs, focusing on breeding before moving the cattle south for fattening. As with many properties in Cape York, the cattle are able to freely graze the property, tending to follow green pasture in the wake of storms and rainfall.

Since 2011, the Witherspoons have been improving fire management practices at York Downs as part of a Savanna Burning carbon project. Early in the dry season, they conduct controlled ‘mosaic’ burns that will help to manage any wildfires occurring later in the season. These early burns decrease the size and intensity of wildfires by removing much of their fuel, making them easier to contain. With early season burns, the Witherspoons are able to protect their pasture and infrastructure.

Using the additional income from the carbon project, the Witherspoons have upgraded their grader to assist with forming fire breaks. They are planning to install a solar system for the property, allowing them to decommission the diesel generator that currently serves as the only source of power at York Downs.

The Witherspoons have seen an increase in native fauna as a result of their new fire management practices. Without the devastation of uncontrollable wildfires, there are now healthy populations of lizards, echidnas, kangaroos, wallabies and snakes at York Downs.

Darling River Eco Corridor 32 is situated near Bourke, in the north-west of New South Wales. In 2017, Kevin Whelan and his family partnered with GreenCollar on a carbon project, establishing a steady income stream for the family, facilitating improvements for the property and helping to regenerate native vegetation.

Income from the carbon project has enabled the Whelans to improve property infrastructure, including fencing and trap yards, allowing them to better control feral animals. It has also allowed them to diversify their business and reduce stocking levels, which make them less reliant on weather and seasonal conditions.

For the Whelans, the carbon project provides financial security, helping to maintain the property and keep their business viable.

Robin and Keryl Thorpe have run Lynwood, near Cobar in New South Wales, since 2006. The pair decided to partner with GreenCollar after attending a carbon farming seminar, appreciating that such projects would allow them to be kinder to the land while diversifying their income and reducing the need to rely so heavily on livestock.

With the income from two carbon projects, the Thorpes have been able to upgrade infrastructure on the property and improve their fire management systems, updating equipment and maintaining firebreaks. Their son has been able to repair traps and build new dams and roads that have been a valuable addition to the property. The requirements of the projects have also made them more diligent with record keeping, and they now manage their stock levels better.

The additional financial support from carbon projects has provided the Thorpes with security and support during tough times, allowing them to support their children and invest in their local community by hiring local labour. It has also helped to drought-proof the property, and the land is benefiting with the Thorpes reporting signs of woody regrowth and recovery.

Pauline and Barry Oliver now have three carbon projects across two properties. They are protecting and regenerating native forest in NSW, and have taken their learnings to a run-down property purchased more recently in WA.

The Oliver’s know and understand the financial underpinning carbon projects afford their agriculture operations, delivering funding for infrastructure improvements such as fencing, yards, and catching facilities, plus essential equipment purchases. The financial flexibility has allowed the Oliver’s to bring in contractors to complete firebreak grading around the entire perimeter of Kaleno, and has kick-started improvements on their recent WA investment.

The money put in to Kaleno flows on to the local community via suppliers, and as the Oliver’s age, has allowed them to employ locals to do the manual labour they can no longer manage.

Over the course of their projects at Kaleno, the Oliver’s have also seen a reduction in feral goat numbers due to more intensive harvesting, which in turn has improved the health of native woody weeds such as Hop Bush, Turpentine and Budda, and maintenance of good native ground cover.