Soil Carbon Courses
Growing Soil Carbon 101
Making Cents with Carbon Growers
All-in-one Soil Carbon Guide
Our short courses simplify the often-complex world of soil carbon, farm emissions and carbon farming projects.
Are you curious about soil carbon or confused about carbon farming?
Our online self-paced courses are for Australian agricultural producers and their trusted advisors. These short courses uncover growing carbon in cropping and grazing farm systems and unpack carbon markets and ACCU Scheme (ERF) Carbon Farming Projects.
With our Soil Carbon courses, you will:
✓ Hear the stories of Australian farmers growing soil carbon to improve yield, profits and resilience for their family legacy
✓ Explore how soil organic matter and soil carbon increases soil quality and reduces agronomic issues
✓ See what the science says on growing soil carbon in cropping, grazing systems and mixed systems
✓ Unpack carbon and nature repair markets, natural capital accounting and farm emissions
✓ Get clarity on ACCU Scheme (ERF) Carbon Farming projects, the Soil Carbon Method and key considerations for landholders.
What people are saying about Growing Soil Carbon 101:
“This is a great one-stop resource to get a handle on carbon and carbon-building practices in agricultural enterprise settings. We now have a much better understanding of how we can build and measure carbon and are better equipped to evaluate the suitability of carbon-based initiatives in our mixed farming enterprise.”
– Primary Producer, The Rock, NSW Riverina
“Knowledge is power- this course helps you understand where your opportunities are with carbon farming.”
– Primary Producer, Forbes, NSW Central West
How long does it take to do the course?
The six modules take an average of 6 hours to do, but as our courses are assessment-free you can move between modules without having to complete quizzes or tasks. This means you can focus on what’s important to you- skim topics you are already familiar with and invest more time in what interests you by exploring all the resources on offer.
Because our courses are self-paced, it’s easy to fit them into your busy life. Each module is broken up into small and digestible topics. With a mix of text, graphics, videos and podcasts, you can learn in a way that best suits you.
$98* One-time fee
*Primary producers receive 50% discount
I’d like to enrol
What’s inside our courses?
Soil Carbon on the Farm
In this module, you will learn about:
- The farm carbon cycle
- Soil carbon
- How soil organic matter & carbon helps the farm
- Ways to grow soil carbon
Growing Carbon in Cropping & Grazing
In this module, you will learn about the practices that farmers are using to grow carbon, including:
- Adding inputs to soil: fertilisers, compost, microbial inoculum, lime and gypsum
- Cropping & Mixed Systems: stubble retention; reduce disturbance; cover crops; changing from cropping to pasture; legumes
- Grazing: rejuvenating pastures by seeding, pasture cropping and altering stocking rate, duration or intensity
- Landscape modification
- Adding or distributing soil, e.g. clay delving
- New irrigation
- Planting trees & shrubs: revegetation, farm forestry and fodder trees and shrubs
Measuring Soil Carbon
In this module, you will learn about:
- Why we measure and monitor soils
- How soil carbon is measured
- Principles to follow when testing farm soil carbon levels
- Tips for making sense of soil carbon test results
- The basics of soil carbon testing for an ACCU Scheme Soil Carbon Project
Australia’s New Farming Industries
In this module, you will learn about:
- Australia’s carbon farming industry
- How agriculture is an important climate change solution
- Carbon markets
- Other environmental markets- nature protection & repair
- Emerging markets that will be operating soon in Australia
- Environmental and natural capital accounting
Farm Emissions 101
In this module, you will learn about:
- Climate Change
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Agricultural emissions
- Cropping & Grazing
- Why measure farm emissions?
- How to measure farm emissions
- Other farmer resources
ACCU Scheme Carbon Farming Projects
In this module, you will learn about:
- What is a Carbon Farming Project?
- ACCU Scheme* Carbon Farming methods
*Formerly known as the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) - Key landholder considerations
- Carbon Service Providers
- Soil Carbon Projects
Want independent info on soil carbon?
SoilCQuest is an independent not-for-profit soil carbon research institute. We are for impact and for agriculture, from our foundations to our purpose. The SoilCQuest Board and Staff include agronomists, farmers, scientists, business, communication & education specialists. Our Research Committee includes highly regarded research scientists, soil scientists, agroecologists and agricultural educators.
The information in our Soil Carbon courses comes from an extensive range of agricultural, scientific, natural resource management and economic organisations. All text is clearly referenced with hyperlinks to these sources, so you can be sure the information is credible.
At SoilCQuest, we understand that increasing soil carbon literacy is the first step to reducing barriers to carbon farming. Our mission is to give Australian producers practical information to increase their soil carbon and understand carbon projects for carbon drawdown, improved productivity and resilience.
Practical solutions
We understand the confusion that surrounds soil carbon.
Our short courses offer practical solutions to increasing soil carbon in cropping and grazing systems.
What People are saying about Growing Soil Carbon 101:
“I wish I’d done this course before I signed our farm up for a carbon project.”
– Primary Producer, Gloucester NSW Upper Hunter
I’d like to enrol
What People are saying about Growing Soil Carbon 101:
“The course is excellent – it is very thorough and informative. I think it works both for people coming into this space and those with a higher knowledge base. The videos are great, and I’ve been using the module fact sheets to have knowledge close at hand and as a talking point with landholders. It’s fantastic that the information is from trusted sources and these are referenced. This gives you the confidence that what you’re putting forward is right – you can say something and then back it up.”
– Land Management Facilitator, NSW
Soil Carbon Online Short Courses
Growing Soil Carbon 101 |
Making Cents with Carbon Growers |
$98*/ one-time fee, lifetime access. |
$98/ one-time fee, lifetime access. |
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Growing Soil Carbon 101 is for: |
Making Cents with Carbon Growers is for:
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$98* one-time fee, with lifetime access to updates. * $49 for Primary Producers |
$98 one-time fee, with lifetime access to updates. |
| ✓ Videos ✓ Podcasts ✓ Scientific Research Overviews |
✓ Videos ✓ Podcasts |
| 6 hours on average is needed to do the six modules. | 4 hours on average is needed to do the six modules. |
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Growing Soil Carbon 101 is the full course. ✓ A deeper dig into soil science and agronomy in Modules 1-3 on:
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Making Cents with Carbon Growers is a shorter course, having less in-depth agronomic and scientific content. ✓ Deeper links and resources in Modules 4-6 on:
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Enrol Now
What people are saying about Growing Soil Carbon 101:
“This is a fabulous resource that I have been recommending to landholders in our region. The module design is really clever and walks farmers first through the practical things they can do before getting into the theory. I really like that the course focuses on how these activities are good for your soil and your ability to withstand climate challenges, whether you go down the ACCU path or not.”
– NSW Local Landcare Coordinator
Course Impact
Knowledge Change: Of course participants, 93% said they learned “a lot” or “a fair amount” about soil carbon, with all participants agreeing that their understanding of soil carbon has changed due to the course.
Values Change: Of those who participated in the course, 2/3 said they have changed their value of soil carbon and now value soil carbon for soil health, farm productivity, farm profitability, and general importance. (It is important to note that the other 1/3 of participants already understood the value of soil carbon).
Behaviour Change: An overwhelming 80% of course participants said that they are going to do something differently as a result of the course, including: (a) Nearly half are going to look more into soil carbon (47%); (b) Almost half are going to talk to their farm business partners and/or family about soil carbon (40%); (c) 1/3 are going to talk to their Agronomist about soil carbon, and (d) Almost half are going to put into practice an idea from the soil carbon module (40%) including, “planting multi-species in pasture paddocks” and “helping farmers to understand these principles and implement them”.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to start and finish the course in a set time?
Our courses are self-paced, so you can start them when you want and take as long or as little to do them. The lifetime access means you can refer back to the course anytime.
Do I have to do all the modules in the course?
Our courses don’t have assignments or quizzes that you have to complete before you can move to the next module. This means you can move freely through the course and skip any modules or topics you are already familiar with, so you can focus on learning about what is important to you.
Can I access the whole course as soon as I register?
Yes, once enrolled, you’ll have access to the entire course within 2 business days.
How much time will the course take?
As a guide, it takes about one hour per module, with the six modules in the course taking about 6 hours to do. You can certainly invest more time though by exploring all of the resources in the course, such as the scientific paper reviews, longer videos and recommended ‘more information’.
Are there any prerequisites or required readings?
These courses are for anyone who wants an introduction or to learn more about Australian carbon farming. There are no prerequisites or required reading – just bring your enthusiasm.
What does lifetime access mean?
Lifetime access means you will be able to access these courses and all their resources for as long as we have them available online – and SoilCQuest is not going anywhere. This is a long-haul commitment for us. No tricks, no fine print. We want you to have access to this knowledge for as long as you need.
Do I need any special technology to access the courses?
Nope! If you can view this page and the video on it, you can access the courses just fine. The courses are delivered via our special course portal, web pages and email. You can access your course content via any web browser on any laptop, PC, Mac, tablet or smartphone that is connected to a reasonable internet connection. You don’t need any other special applications or memberships to other platforms. You are not required to have a Facebook or Google account. It’s simple and easy.
Will I receive a certificate at the end of the course?
If you would like a certificate, we can send you a Certificate of Completion as soon as you finish the course. Please note there is no ‘official’ accreditation for Growing Soil Carbon 101 or Making Cents with Carbon Growers.
What are the course terms and conditions?
Please review the terms and conditions of our courses here