More food price hikes on the way. What else will be atributed to climate change. The need for a republic with the resultant law changes and costs. Have been reading Dr Peter Marshall's wartime sermons in which he said "I am wondering what it will take, starvation, thirst and lack for us to seek God?" Still as relevent today as ever.

Farmers can't stop doing farming so biosequestration should be encouraged e.g. through addition of biochar which may also have additional benefits such as reducing soil N2O emissions. New research should also focus on looking at technologies /practices whereby one could reduce methane emissions from animals and nitrous oxide emissions from soil. I disagree with Stefan Ardnt judgement that locking carbon in soil should not be included in ETS schemes ....this at least provides a long-term option to store atmospheric CO2 in soil. Although more research is needed, biochars could potentially mitigate soil N2O emissions.

Biochar is one of many options to have a win win outcome. The only trouble is there is very little research being done in Australia and at the moment it costs too much to make or purchase. Farmers need help to help the world be a better place. Research and money must be applied to this problem NOW.

I think the charges for rural emissions are imminent. Has any one looked at reducing the methane and nitrous oxide emissions rather than accept them?

These researchers THEY only look at Farmers. When are they going to look at their own emissions, not just cattle. Maybe farmers should give them (everybody) a taste of what it would be like without farmers, NO MILK, MEAT, VEGETABLES, FRUIT!! Starvation is the only thing left! I bet they think it will be still on the shelves at the shops. Besides Carbon is built up in soils when growing all plants NOT just trees, it is the overworking of soil that is a problem. The worst problem is SPRAYS - they do the most damage to the soils & us. That has only just been realised by some, the chemical companies are trying to say it's not the problem. Barry

the header should rather say "could hurt unsustainable farmers". And that should be the only way irrespective of if it is driven by climate change or not. Well done Mr Turnbull.

God is a character in a fictitious mythology. Science, reason, open minds and a little sacrifice is what is required not senseless, archaic ritual.

Storing CO2 in the soil in the form of humus is the only place on earth that is under direct human influence where it is both quick, cheap and practical to store the existing excess CO2 in the atmosphere. "Raise soil organic matter by one tenth of one percentage point a year, and we peg CO2 levels as of today. Raise them by 1.6% points and we get totally back to normal. Global warming is then finished." Allan J Yeomans 1994. If you want to see the figures then you can read on-line the chapter in AJ's book Priority One. You can find it through www.yeomansplow.com.au Nitrous oxide emissions from the soil follow the destruction of soil humus caused by nitrogenous fertilizers. On golf tees the nitrogen fertilizer sulphate ammonia was and probably still is used by green keepers to kill earthworms and prevent the worm castings (of pure humus) that interfear with putting. The black or near black colour common to worm casts, deep biologically fertile soil, crude oil, coal, soot and for that matter car tyres is simply because they all contain a high proportion of carbon. As a sustainable agricultural consultant for forty years I know that it is relatively easy to rapidly build deep biologically fertile soil. See my web site for ideas and literature. www.keyline.org Ken Yeomans Keyline Designs Gold Coast, Australia

Congratulations to Ken Yeomans for putting some common sense back into the soil carbon debate.

Soil organic matter is approximately 60pc carbon, and agricultural soils can store up to 15pc by weight of organic matter. Each 1pc of organic matter in a soil is equuivalent to 9 tonnes per hectare of carbon.

So if a farmer increases his organic matter levels by 1pc he will store an extra 9 tonnes of carbon across every hectare of the farm.

There is approximately 450m hectares of agricultural land in Australia - increase organic matter levels on all that land will store about 4 billion tonnes of carbon in the soil.

I would welcome the opportunity to debate this with Dr Arndt.

Well done, Ken - I know your family has been working on these concepts for over half a century.

Very well written, Ken...it's the same argument that I have been using for years, not because I'm some sort of Green nutter, only because I have seen myself, in Italy and here, what damage chemical fertilisers do to the soil structure.

I suppose we will still rely on some form of industrial/chemical fertilisers, but the bulk of it must be organic.

Soil-carbon sequestration will be one of the tools that farmers will need to use. But I haven't seen any exemption, for farmers, on increased cost of electricity, fuel etc.

Do you really believe that the big boys are going to pay the carbon tax and not pass it on? If that's the case, dream on.