1. On-Farm
Greenhouse Gas Audit
Mark McKew

2. Outline
• Farming operation
• How the project came about
• Why I wanted to get involved
• Results
• What have a learnt from this process
• Future?

3. Coralynn
• 654 ha
• Sheep (2,700) and Beef (77) Production
• 24ha crop, 10ha revegetation
• Mt Cole Creek, Western Victoria

6. How the project came about
• Project Platypus (Local Landcare Network) sought
funds from the Federal Govt to Audit 15 farms.
• The project was managed by the Landcare
Network who engaged Environmental Accounting
Services to design and undertake audits.
• Project Platypus staff were involved by working
with landholders to collect information.
• It was decided to use the previous financial year
as a basis for calculating emissions

7. Why I wanted to get involved
• Concerns about Global Warming, requires a
Global solution
• Want to play my part in the solution (everyone
needs to get involved)
• No idea about what my farming enterprise
emissions were
• My goal is to become carbon neutral

8. Accounting Boundary
Emissions/Uptake
Carbon
Dioxide
Nitrous
Methane Oxide
Farm Emission/Uptake
Sources
Physical Inputs Physical Outputs
Enteric Fermentation
Fuel and Energy Use
Fuel Emissions from Fertiliser Use Wool
Emissions from Animal Waste Grain
Fertiliser
Emissions from crop Liveweight
Stock Numbers residues
Total Farm Area
Area Cropped Emissions to Air
Area of Improved Pasture
Physical Inputs
Physical Outputs (Not
Counted
• Increase/decrease in soil carbon was not
considered as part of this audit

9. Results
Figure 2: Sources of on farm emissions

10. Total Emissions
My Farm
Source/Sink t CO2-e
Electricity and Fuel 13
Grain Production 0.4
Sheep Production 355
Beef Production 160
Revegetation -30
Net Farm Emissions 498
Net Farm Agriculture Emissions 485
Alternate farm , similar size with emphasis on cropping
Source/Sink t CO2-e
Electricity and Fuel 39
Grain Production 19
Sheep Production 91
Forestry -52
Net Farm Emissions 97
Net Farm Agriculture Emissions 58

11. Learnings
• Carbon accounting for
my enterprise was not
complicated
• Assumed beef were
higher emitters of
methane than sheep,
but on a DSE basis they
are only marginally
higher
• Crops as opposed to livestock produces a lot less
greenhouse gases
• Need to undertake a substantial amount of revegetation
to become carbon neutral (or through soil carbon
increases)

12. Future direction
• Reduced cattle numbers
• Increase in revegetation
• Commenced testing soil carbon at a number of
sites over the farm
• Learn more about how to reduce emissions from
livestock through genetics and feeding
• We need to undertake a substantial amount of
research and development in this area