What we do
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Whilst assessing soil carbon, we hope to work with a farmer, throughout the process to build a robust shared knowledge.
We have a preliminary interview where we discuss how we can help each client and sort the details of where/how we are coring. Each field’s soil sampling strategy will be stored digitally, allowing us to keep a record of how/where cores were taken, maintaining a chain of evidence that can be used later to demonstrate carbon validity. If adjustments need to be made, or a supplementary strategy is implemented, this can be recorded on the main file, with attached reasoning. A key benefit of an on-site visit is it allow us to use a mechanised coring machine, this allows us to take samples more frequently, but also to take cores of a greater depth. Soil cores, we take ourselves, can go to up to 1m (or until bedrock), this can give a greater understanding of the carbon capture at depth, that would be expected under settled systems such as no-till or permanent pastures. For farms we are unable to visit, we offer a ‘do it yourself’ kit, which includes a sampling map, and several coring tubes. A landowner following the map can hammer in these cores, cap them off and ship them to us for analysis. Vertical Divider
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Once the cores are back at the lab, we break them down into layers, these layers are combined across cores, to give us a sample. This gives data across the whole field and going down through the field. This increased profile can reveal the impacts of management at depth, provide suggestions for maximising carbon capture and provide evidence for carbon sequestration security.
Precision and accuracy are of the utmost importance in ensuring the results of a survey can be applied to whatever situation. To this end we are testing our samples using elemental analysis, rather than loss on ignition (LOI), this gives more accurate results and requires no post-test adjustments. Our data is stored on a NEAR based blockchain, this means the data is held securely on a decentralised system. It maintains a flexible record of additions to the dataset, tracking changes and access over time. Farmers can select to whom they give access to their farms data. In the long term, both researchers and carbon traders will likely be interested in accessing and assessing carbon data and associated meta-data. The NEAR chain is accessed through an app, on phones, via the scanning of a physical chip. This chip operates as a key, to find and access the data. We also offer conventional physical and/or digital printouts, for the main test. |
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