March 2022 - WA Carbon Connections
This month, we see the ACCU price end its six months of rapid growth, and the WA State Government begins its calls for round two of their carbon farming loan program by offering grant vouchers for farmers to access professional carbon advice.
We’re keeping our newsletter short and sweet this month… just one big piece of news for WA landholders. The WA government is offering to give the State’s farmers up to $10,000, under its ‘Carbon for Farmers Voucher Program’, to access professional advice on how carbon farming could be integrated into their enterprise. The program is designed to enable potential applicants for the Carbon Farming and Land Restoration Program (CF-LRP) to ready themselves to make an application for a loan to fund the full development of an Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) project.
It will support a product Carbon West has been delivering to WA farmers in recent years - the ‘ERF Carbon Opportunities Report’. These reports inform individual farmers how they could engage in the Australian carbon industry. This ‘Carbon for Farmers’ voucher program could enable landholders to access this type of tailored advice without draining their own cash reserves.
To access the vouchers, farmers must make a 10% co-contribution (up to $1,000+GST) to the services provided.
Applications to access the vouchers must be made by April 1. To apply, either call us at Carbon West for help (Jen on 0421680555 or Sam on 0421329418), or go to the SmartyGrants website to register for an account with SmartyGrants and complete an application. This process is relatively simple, requiring information about your business entity, farm size, turnover and operations, info about the service provider you will choose and a commitment to contributing the 10% co-contribution.
The requirements of the funding is that it be used only to inform and/or develop a carbon project or strategy for your enterprise. No capital costs or ‘business as usual’ expenses are eligible for funding. Full program guidelines are available here.
Carbon West is a signatory to the Carbon Market Institute Code of Conduct, has experience in the registration of projects under the ERF soil carbon methodology and sound knowledge of the ERF vegetation carbon methods. We also advise on the carbon market and industry drivers, risks and constraints.
This opportunity to fund your further education in how carbon can work for you is a well-timed, much-needed investment in ensuring WA farmers have their eyes wide open before engaging in carbon industry activity. This sort of support is something Carbon West has lobbied for and we are delighted to see this no-obligation offer presented.
Applicants must be primary producers, have an ABN, own land in the South-West Land Division.
Quote of the day:
‘Any fool can know. The point is to understand.’ –Albert Einstein