20 May 2026 - Final project update with key insights
In this webinar the On‑Farm Carbon Advice team shared key insights from their 4‑year project to support NSW farmers to transition to a low emissions future. The team worked with dairy, extensive sheep and beef livestock and mixed farming producers across NSW to build knowledge and capability of low emissions and sequestration opportunities.
In this webinar, the team discussed insights and learnings gained from their project activities including;
- Workshops from introductory to masterclasses and Farm Carbon Management Plans that aimed to provide advice and support in understanding and quantifying on-farm carbon sources and sinks. Decarbonisation pathways were identified outlining current feasible and emerging options for on-farm carbon sequestration and emissions reduction using purpose-built protocols and tools.
- Demonstration of abatement options and ‘do now’ options on DPIRD research stations and commercial producer’s sites.
- Enabling producers to understand carbon and environmental market opportunities.
Read the Low Emissions Options Report: https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/dpi/climate/Low-emissions-agriculture/Low-Emissions-Options-Report
15 April 2026 - Strategies to improve biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) and lower emissions in mixed farming systems
Join DPIRD's On-Farm Carbon Advice team for a webinar and hear from Dr Belinda Hackney on; Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) that has been described as the second most important process on earth after photosynthesis, its benefits to farming systems that have been exploited by civilisations for thousands of years and why it is a powerful tool that can be used to offset crop and pasture requirements for inorganic nitrogen fertiliser. Achieving theoretical levels of BNF can be interrupted by many factors which generally are within the control of the land manager. Additionally, recent advancements in plant breeding and farming system development offer increased BNF compared to traditional farming systems.
5 February 2026 - Low Emissions Intensity Farming Systems (LEIFS) initiative
Join us for a webinar hosted by DPIRD's On-farm Carbon Advice and Low Emissions Intensity Farming System (LEIFs) teams. This webinar discusses productivity and emissions and what farm-level strategies can be implemented. Presenter: Sarah Groat, Research Officer, Climate Applications.
26 November 2025 - Turning Weeds into Biochar: Opportunities for biochar production using a mobile biochar unit
Landholders across Australia need to grapple with the ongoing needs to manage invasive weeds. Lantana, one of Australia's most invasive weeds, can be used to create biochar with a novel mobile biochar unit, turning lantana biomass into high-quality biochar. The mobile biochar unit allows for on-site pyrolysis no matter what the Biomass.
5 November - What is Biochar and its use in agricultural systems
Biochar is being used to improve soil constraints by improving soil structure, water retention, and nutrient availability.
Discover how biochar can help in building climate resilience and carbon sequestration strategies
10 September - Repowering the Future – Low Carbon Liquid Fuels and Agriculture
Join us for an insightful session exploring the emerging role of Renewable Diesel (RD) and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in shaping a low-carbon future. Discover how these next-generation biofuels are creating new opportunities for the agriculture sector from feedstock production to regional processing and lower emission fuel supply chains. Learn from what this transition could means for farmers, agribusinesses, and rural communities.
20 August - Nitrogen use efficiency and novel fertiliser
Dr. Graeme Schwenke, Senior Research Scientist in Soils at DPIRD, presents a webinar discussing the ins and outs of nitrogen management in agriculture, i.e. inputs and losses. In many situations, additional nitrogen is required to ensure agricultural production is not limited by the soil’s ability to provide enough available nitrogen. This usually means applying fertilisers, which are often a major cost to production.
Many years of research have shown that the nitrogen cycle may ‘leak’ significant proportions of the added nitrogen in various directions: upwards as gas emissions, sideways as runoff and erosion, and downwards as leaching. Some of this is due to application methods, some is due to mismatching nitrogen availability from the fertiliser with nitrogen uptake by the crop or pasture. Typically, fertiliser recommendations include an allowance for these losses. However, losses are an unwanted expense and can also lead to environmental impacts both local and global.
The 4Rs of nutrient stewardship (right product, rate, timing and placement) can help 'plug the leaks'. Enhanced efficiency fertilisers (EEFs) have been developed to reduce losses and/or better match nitrogen inputs with uptake, and thus fit the 4R concept.
What are the currently available EEFs and how do they work? Can they reduce losses and therefore improve fertiliser use efficiency such that less fertiliser is needed?
30 July - Low methane beef
Join us for a webinar on the Low Methane Beef project. Tom Granleese, Research Officer, us through the project and the findings around genetics to help producers and breeders select for reduced methane without sacrificing other production, health and reproductive traits.
The Low Methane Beef project between NSW DPIRD, MLA, UNE and Angus Australia.
11 June - Low methane sheep
Join the On-farm Carbon Advice project for a webinar featuring DPIRD experts Ed Clayton and Geoff Casburn. Ed will present preliminary findings on genetic links to methane production that could revolutionize how producers select sheep for lower emissions through DPIRD's collaboration with Meat & Livestock Australia, the Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit (AGBU), and the University of New England on the Low Methane Sheep project. Additionally, Geoff will discuss how DPIRD is using RFID technology in novel ways to evaluate management options aimed at achieving more uniform and consistent intake of supplements carrying methane reducing compounds to sheep in the paddock. DPIRD's work as a member of a National Sheep Methane Partnership consisting of AWI, universities, and other departments of Agriculture from wool producing states, forms part of the Australian Government’s Methane Emissions Reduction in Livestock program (MERiL).
7 May - Designing pasture mixes to reduce emissions in extensive grazing systems - DPIRD Pastures
Join us for a webinar hosted by the On-farm Carbon Advice team and the DPIRD's Pastures team! Discover strategies for designing pasture mixes that can reduce emissions in extensive grazing systems enhancing your sustainable farming practices.
17 April - Understanding soil carbon, its limits and opportunities - Dr Warwick Badgery
Join us for an On-Farm Carbon Advice webinar, with Dr. Warwick Badgery. Warwick will delve into the latest research findings on soil carbon. He will discuss its inherent limitations, opportunities to enhance soil health and carbon sequestration potential.
4 March - Low emissions agriculture - Dr Aaron Simmons
The On-Farm Carbon Advice team held their inaugural webinar featuring DPIRD's Dr. Aaron Simmons. Aaron delved into the frameworks driving demand for low GHG emissions agricultural production. He also highlighted key opportunities and risks that farmers needed to navigate as they assessed potential pathways to ensure their businesses could provide commodities that met the needs of the supply chain.