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AgCarE is an initial audit of sustainable production, carbon and biodiversity assets.
AgCarE is a tool to tell you where you stand, to tell your story if you choose, and to monitor your progress and identify the people and methods best able to help you do it.
AgCarE is your first step, but also a critical link to the very best of public and private natural capital tools and markets.
Learn more about AgCarE, your natural capital assessment tool, from two AgForce members,
one who is part of the tool's development and the other who has used AgCarE.
"It’s time to reward farmers who do the right thing."
For grazier Scott MacLennan, signing up to AgCarE was a no-brainer.
The 50-year-old, from Queensland’s North Burnett region, has been involved since 2020, and is finally ready to reap the rewards.
Following AgCarE’s identification of a viable carbon farming project at Scott’s property, he went ahead with set up, and now estimates he’ll be accruing carbon credits by the end of the year.
The project cost $40,000 to get off the ground, but over its lifetime will bring in $1.8 million.
Scott is delighted.
"AgCarE is a great program," he says.
"It was able to identify an ‘avoided clearing project’ which I would never have known about otherwise."
"Basically, if I promise not to clear the land for the next 25 years, I can offset my carbon emissions against it, and the extra I sequester I can then sell."
"I guess the difference with my carbon project and others out there is that I’m the proponent."
"There are carbon service providers out there that will run a project like this for you and charge you 30 per cent of everything you earn, but with AgCarE I’m running it."
Going forward, Scott says governments need to give AgCarE more support.
"Knowledge is power and that’s what we as producers need, he says."
"We do a lot of things in the course of our work and don’t assign a value to it, we just do it because its best practice, but the associated benefit of that is our natural capital, the environment and its ecosystems."
"It’s time to reward farmers who do the right thing."
AgCarE is based on national and international standards for environmental sustainability.
AgCarE Assessment
Core Modules
Commodity Modules
Assessment Overview
An assessment includes the following core modules:
Carbon Balance module recognises your business’s carbon footprint and potential carbon project areas. Links to third party carbon neutral certification for future market access and to project (ERF & VERA) providers for potential carbon revenue streams.
Ecological Values module identifies your property’s ecological attributes that can link to potential alternative revenue streams i.e. ecosystems services and biodiversity offsets.
Sustainability Management module recognises your business’s activities in accordance with International ESG and Sustainable Development goals. Meets risks and disclosure requirements associated with the financial and insurance sectors.
Farm Business Resilience Plan module provides a recognised property planning framework that highlights risk management in the business and supports engagement with banks, insurance providers and other agencies supporting farm businesses. Demonstrates compliance with national and international sustainability and financial disclosure requirements.
An assessment can include any of the following commodity modules:
The Commodity modules recognises your business’s (commodity) practices and assesses them against national and international standards. This assessment identifies access to potential funding and best practice certification opportunities.
Outputs for Producers
Assessment Report detailing:
Assessment Report detailing:
Potential Market Opportunities
Cost (ex GST)
AgForce Producer Members - $9,000*
Non-Members - $15,000
* AgForce members to contact AgForce to receive a discount code
It is recommended that landowners reassess modules in the future to provide indication of maintenance or improvement of natural capital condition. This will be dependent on your original assessment report and what actions you may consider to improve your scorecard.
AgForce Producer Members - $3,500 ex GST*
Non-Members - $6,500 ex GST
* AgForce members to contact AgForce to receive a discount code
A reference panel has been established to verify the scientific integrity of the program and advise on effective governance certification and audit. Members include the former Chief Scientist of Queensland and other eminent scientists involved with biodiversity, offsets, biocondition, soils, water, vegetation, farm business, and drought management.
Please email or phone the AgForce Brisbane office
