Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Convincing boffins it is being done
I enjoyed reading your email this morning and the letters to scientists.
In the few discussions that I have had with soil scientists the main obstacle to their acceptance of soil as a carbon sink is their belief that soil cannot hold the amount of carbon that you and I know that it can. At a recent conference I spent an hour with a scientist telling him about what has been achieved by good land managers e.g. 0.5% to 5% O.M. level in a few years. I also told him about the methodologies that these farmers use. While sceptical, he was interested. The bottom line with most soil scientists is that measurements have generally been on traditionally managed (equals industrial agriculture) farms where soil carbon levels are low and declining. Therefore, I believe the first effort should be to collect enough data to convince the boffins that building soil carbon levels at high rates can and is being done. Only then will they take any notice.
I noticed on the Carbon Coalition site a few weeks ago that you asked for farmers to send their data on carbon sequestration to you. Did this happen? This is what needs to be done. I am about to start collecting information from the sources that I have including my Brookside Labs colleagues. Also one of my NZ colleagues will be in the US shortly to attend the annual Brookside Consultant’s Convention and he will be discussing these issues with attendees and the Lab Director (also a former President of the US Soil Scientists Association – or similar title).
Rod Rush
Armidale
In the few discussions that I have had with soil scientists the main obstacle to their acceptance of soil as a carbon sink is their belief that soil cannot hold the amount of carbon that you and I know that it can. At a recent conference I spent an hour with a scientist telling him about what has been achieved by good land managers e.g. 0.5% to 5% O.M. level in a few years. I also told him about the methodologies that these farmers use. While sceptical, he was interested. The bottom line with most soil scientists is that measurements have generally been on traditionally managed (equals industrial agriculture) farms where soil carbon levels are low and declining. Therefore, I believe the first effort should be to collect enough data to convince the boffins that building soil carbon levels at high rates can and is being done. Only then will they take any notice.
I noticed on the Carbon Coalition site a few weeks ago that you asked for farmers to send their data on carbon sequestration to you. Did this happen? This is what needs to be done. I am about to start collecting information from the sources that I have including my Brookside Labs colleagues. Also one of my NZ colleagues will be in the US shortly to attend the annual Brookside Consultant’s Convention and he will be discussing these issues with attendees and the Lab Director (also a former President of the US Soil Scientists Association – or similar title).
Rod Rush
Armidale
