Ken Bellamy is the brains behind Prime Carbon: A soil enhancement and carbon sequestration operation. Ken reveals the power of "probiotics", or beneficial microbiological communities that his company produces for agricultural soil treatments.

1. Building an Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Environment Bio-Tech in Action

2. What is Bio-Tech? The manufacture and use of microbial products or extracts for specific Industrial or Commercial purposes

3. Common Bio-Tech functions…

6. Local Production of Bio-Tech Products

7. Current uses for Bio-Tech Products In this Region Composting – Acceleration of Break-Down and Preservation of Nutrients Waste Management – Advanced Sedimentation and odour control Agricultural Supplements – Targeted nutrient uptake, Bio-Fertilisers Nutrients include: Nitrogen & Carbon, from atmosphere and Phosphorous and Calcium unlocked from soil.

9. Nitrogen Cycle

10. Carbon Cycle InoculatingProducts contain Bugs which Catch and Store CO 2 in the soil Some Products contain Bugs which enhance Carbon processing.

11. Bio-fertilisers and Soil conditioners Increased Nutrient Uptake + Greater Soil Microbe Activity + Less loss to Run-off = MORE $ TO THE FARMER and it’s ECO-FRIENDLY

18. From this concept: Real improvements to farm management practices leading to real benefits for Farmers and their soils and real changes in the material volumes effecting their environments

19. Can it be done??

20. Increased Plant Vigour Warmer Colours show greater intensity of Biological Activity Verification – large scale

21. We monitor: Phosphorous Availability Total Moisture Total Organic Carbon Total Carbon Soil Structure All of these are indicators and monitors of enhanced microbial activity.

22. Monitoring is in 3 phases: Point Sampling Overflight – spectroscopy and ground truthing Collation of a Pool of Data across regions and nationally Measurement over time develops TREND LINES and gives a more complete picture. 5 measurements: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months 12 months, 2 years. This gives a dynamic picture of a pool of soil carbon supported by CHANGED LAND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES.

23. Filters help Isolate Carbon in Soil under the crop GPS located Ground Truthing confirms photo record

26. The “CO-BENEFITS” of Soil Enhancement today outweigh the potential financial future benefits of Carbon Credit sales...... real change is afoot: 1. Sales of Carbon Credits are real – ($64 Billion in 2007) but remain somewhat “Ghostly” to some 2. Water Retention, Reduced Reliance on Synthetic Fertiliser Inputs, Buffered Disease control. These issues are REAL & IMMEDIATE... 0.5% Increase in Soil Carbon = 8 inches of Rain The use of the Prime Carbon program on parkland has meant that our irrigation costs and the need for irrigation have been cut in half. For us this benefit alone justifies participation in the program. Tristram Denyer – Operations Co-ordinator Parks, Townsville City Council

28. What if we get the job done before we are allowed? Soil issues must be addressed. Capture and storage of Carbon is possible. Improved agricultural outcomes are happening– not just possible. It is possible now to create, manage, monitor and present for sale a POOL of soil carbon across the country. We hope that Governments get on the bus before it leaves! But the bus is running anyway.

29. State of play today: Approx 400,000 Hectares Under Negotiation or signed up to the process. When completed, this means: 22,000,000 Tonnes of CO2e Soil Carbon measurements for 2007 and 2008 in early adoption farms already above 1% on all NQ lands bar 1. (That farm has 0.8% increase with a year to go) Soil Carbon movements in Riverina and other poorer rainfall areas above 2% in less than 2 years. (Independant measurement by CSU, DPI and EPA in Riverina region) Credits listed in Australia and Pending in Chicago and Europe First Credit sales to retailers in NQ have taken place

30. Our Vision By 2013 we will: Convert at least 1 million hectares to sustainable farming practices Provide $1 billion pa in commercial opportunities for country regions Provide substantial wholesale carbon credit units for trading at a National and International level Be seen as the benchmark for regionally focused carbon exchange programs in Australia Be a focal point for on-going research into sustainable technologies

31. Bio agents Primae Facie case Carbon Sampling Agreed Farming Regime Laboratory Testing Credit Aggregation Credit Trading Biomass Recycling Biofuels Renewable Energies Resource Efficiency Measurement & validation Aggregation Kyoto Auditing Knowledge Network Clusters Soil Improvement Generate Community Support – and Community Benefit Carbon Trading Environmental Services Renewable Energies Sustainable Farming Sustainable Regional Development

33. We have a Solution: Pay Our Own Landholders and Improve our own Soil

34. Building an Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Environment