Soil Carbon Courses

Online short courses for agricultural producers and their trusted advisors

Write your awesome label here.

With our Soil Carbon Courses, you will:

  Gain insights from Australian farmers growing soil carbon to improve yield, profits and resilience
  Uncover how soil organic matter and soil carbon increases soil quality and reduces agronomic issues
  Learn what cropping, mixed and grazing practices increase and protect soil carbon
  Understand agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and Australia's new carbon economy
  Get clarity on ACCU Scheme (ERF) Carbon Farming projects and the Soil Carbon Method

Learn from Australian farmers increasing their soil carbon

Uncover why soil carbon is a key metric to farm productivity and profitability.

Our courses empower you with the keys to growing soil carbon, a common-sense guide to increasing and protecting soil carbon in Australian agriculture.

Support your clients to build their carbon strategy

Whether you are an agronomist, land management advisor or in the financial industry, the carbon economy requires understanding the basics of soil carbon and carbon farming.

Our courses help you support your clients build their carbon strategy with confidence, from the beginning.

Get to know the carbon economy

The new carbon economy can feel overwhelming, but as they say, forewarned is forearmed.

Our courses step you through it all - climate change, carbon farming, net zero, carbon neutral, offsetting, insetting, and mandatory climate reporting.
Write your awesome label here.

Which course is right for me?

Growing Soil Carbon 101

This course is for:
  Farmers and farm managers
  Agronomists
  Land management and NRM advisors
  Anyone interested in soil carbon in agricultural systems

Growing Soil Carbon has comprehensive agronomic and scientific explainers, plus scientific paper overviews of Australian and international research.
Empty space, drag to resize

Making Cents with Carbon Growers

This course is for:
  Accountants
  Bankers
  Financial and legal advisors
  Anyone with agricultural clients, or working in the agribusiness industry

Making Cents with Carbon Growers has less in-depth agronomic and scientific content than Growing Soil Carbon 101, and more on tax and land value implications of carbon farming projects.
Empty space, drag to resize
Empty space, drag to resize

Soil carbon simplified

As Australia's only soil carbon research institute, we understand the confusion around soil carbon.

SoilCQuest 2031 is a unique collaboration of farmers, agricultural and soil scientists, agro-ecologists, agronomists, educators, and business, communication, and extension specialists.

It's true, soil carbon can be complex, but we believe good education should simplify complexity.

This is why we've created our own learning tools, graphics, videos and guides, to explain soil carbon science in plain English.

Our courses are made up of six modules:

 1. Soil carbon on the farm

Explains how soil carbon improves farm productivity and why it is a key metric for soil health & crop resilience, using insights from leading agronomists and soil scientists. 

 2. Growing carbon in cropping & grazing

Equips growers with practical knowledge on the cropping and grazing practices being used today to build soil carbon, as well as the emerging practices of the near-future.

 3. Measuring and monitoring soil carbon

Outlines how soil carbon in the paddock is measured and monitored, including the new ag-tech that’s making this easier.

4. Australia’s new carbon economy

Explores our carbon and nature-based farming industries, plus environmental and natural capital accounting.

 5. Farm emissions

Gives a 101 on climate change, why and how farm emissions are measured, as well as plain-english explanations of carbon neutrality, offsetting, insetting and more.

6. ACCU Scheme Carbon Farming Projects

Takes an in-depth look at carbon farming projects and the soil carbon method, and what farmers need to think about if they are considering this for their business.

Testimonials

WHAT FARMERS ARE SAYING ABOUT OUR COURSES
This is a great one-stop resource to get a handle on carbon and carbon-building practices in agricultural enterprise settings.
Primary Producer,
The Rock, NSW Riverina
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

I previously understood the importance of soil carbon in agricultural systems but I found this course was a good refresher and was quite inspiring.
Primary Producer,
Eugowra,
NSW Central West
The content is really well presented and has a nice balance of information as text, videos, articles, etc. Content has been written simply and not too technical, which is ideal.
Grazier,
Dungog, NSW Hunter
I wish I’d done this course before I signed our farm up for a carbon project.
Primary Producer,
Gloucester,
NSW Upper Hunter

Unpack farm emissions

Farmers and their advisors understand that carbon accounting is here to stay and are getting a handle on what this means for agribusiness.

Learn what tools and support farmers have to measure their emissions, and discover the strategies they are using to reduce emissions from livestock and fertilisers.

Know what questions to ask about carbon farming projects

Understand the key considerations for landholders interested in ACCU Scheme Carbon Farming projects.

Our courses explore the risks and benefits of carbon farming projects and what is involved in a Soil Carbon project.
Write your awesome label here.
What advisors are saying about our courses
The course is excellent, covering all the basics—and beyond—needed to gain a solid understanding of soil carbon and the options available today for Australian farmers seeking unbiased guidance on these topics.
Agricultural Extension Officer, Riverine Plains Inc, VIC & NSW
For us as financial counsellors, it works really well, and it's also good for farmers who want to get more knowledge, as this is something we can't ignore.
Financial Counsellor,
Rural Financial Counselling Service NSW
Our counsellors are upping their carbon knowledge with thanks to this course. Highly recommended.
Rural Financial Counselling Service NSW Northern Region
I’d recommend this course to others.
Agronomist,
Carbon Service Industry, NSW
What I enjoyed most about this course is that it explained it all in layman's terms. I’d recommend it to others.
Banker, Rural Bank, VIC
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
The course is excellent and 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.
Sustainable Agriculture Advisor, NSW

Who is using our courses?

Frequently asked questions

Can I access the whole course as soon as I enrol?

Our courses are self-paced, so you don't have to wait for a particular date for the course to start. Once you are ready to start, simply click on the 'enrol now' button to receive immediate access to Modules 1-3 on soil carbon in agriculture. Modules 4- 6 on Australia's new carbon economy are then made available to you three days after you've enrolled.
(We use this 'drip feed' feature to prevent our online learners from feeling overwhelmed by receiving all the course content in one go).

Do I have to start and finish the course in a set time?

No, once you enrol you have lifetime access, which means you can refer back to the course anytime.

Do I have to complete quizzes or assignments?

No, our courses don’t have assignments or quizzes to complete before you can move to the next module. This means you can focus on learning about what is important to you, and skim what you are already familiar with. 

Our courses do require a minimum read time for each topic.

Each module is broken up into short e-books by topic and each has an estimated read time. If you spend less than 20% of this time in each e-book before moving to the next topic, a lock symbol will appear to remind you of this feature. For example, if the estimated reading time of an e-book is 5 mins (as indicated beside each e-book in the course menu and also at the start of each e-book), you need to spend at least 1 min in that e-book before moving to the next.

We use this best practice feature to ensure your learning journey is satisfying and that you can confidently move to the next topic. This feature prevents learners from moving in an unstructured way through the course content, and skipping the foundational knowledge that is built upon in each module and throughout the course. 

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.

To help you get the best learning outcomes, our courses are carefully designed to build your foundational information before stepping you through more complex concepts. With this in mind, there is a minimum read time for each topic. Each module is broken up into short e-books by topic and each has an estimated read time. If you spend less than 20% of this time in each e-book before moving to the next topic, a lock symbol will appear to remind you of this feature. 

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! You can access our courses via any web browser on any laptop, PC, Mac, tablet or smartphone that is connected to a reasonable internet connection. 

Will I receive a certificate at the end of the course?

Please let us know via the survey at the end of the course if you would like a digital Certificate of Completion.

There’s a minimum requirement to spend 20% of the estimated reading time in each topic (e-book). This feature helps us to ensure that our Certificate of Completion is awarded to learners who have undertaken the whole course.  

What are the course terms and conditions?

Please review the terms and conditions of our courses here.

SoilCQuest 2031

Address
PO Box 632, Forbes NSW 2871

Have a question? Please use the contact form below.

First Name
Last Name
E-mail address
Your message
Thank you!