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.”

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.