Arable
Soil carbon levels measured by new
mapping service • Organic and active carbon assessed • Sets base for carbon sequestration • Pathway to mitigate climate change
launched by agronomy compa- ny Hutchinsons. Called Terramap Carbon, it
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claims to be the first mapping ser- vice to provide an accurate base- line measurement of both organ- ic and active carbon in the soil – helping farmers reduce their environmental impact.
Unless carbon is measured, there is no way it can be man- aged, says Matt Ward, Hutchin- sons services manager. The ser- vice will help the industry meet the NFU’s target for UK agricul- ture to be carbon neural by 2040, he adds.
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“The pressure to manage car- bon is only going to become great- er as other industries are already showing positive change,” says Mr Ward. Unlike many other in- dustries, farmers can also store carbon – helping to mitigate cli- mate change. TerraMap uses gamma-ray detection technology that de- livers resolutions of over 800 points/ha and it measures natu- rally emitted isotopes – including caesium and potassium – that are stable with long half-lives. Data collection in the field is carried out in two steps: first, the field is scanned by a lightweight ATV fitted with a sensor; then soil samples are taken so each scan to be used to create individ- ual map layers.
Why measure carbon? Terramap Carbon is available as a standard or premium ser- vice. The standard service maps 17 micronutrients, soil type acid- ity – including total organic car- bon in terms of percentage car- bon and tonnes/ha.
The premium service maps 27 18 ANGLIA FARMER • JUNE 2021
mapping service to help farmers assess soil car- bon levels has been
layers – including a wider range of micronutrients – and cat-ion exchange. It includes measuring total organic and active carbon percentage and tonnes/ha – giv- ing thepercentage of carbon ac- tive in the soil.
Measuring carbon to deter- mine how much can be stored in the soil is the first step in carbon sequestration – a service other industries are willing to pay for as they seek to offset their green- house gas emissions.
Carbon storage is set to be- come an important source of farm income as the basic pay- ment scheme is phased out over the next seven years. Eco-system services such carbon sequestra- tion are seen as a keen way to help replace this lost income. “We need to move away from seeing carbon foot-printing as a burden or simply a tick-box exer- cise and see that this is beneficial, as a proxy measurement for effi- ciency and profitability of a farm as well as simply a measure of waste,” says Mr Ward.
Storing carbon is an income opportunity for farmers, says Matt Ward.
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