One of the most common objections we hear when discussing soil carbon projects is simple: “It sounds like a lot of extra work.”
In reality, the opposite is true.
When done well, the record keeping required for a soil carbon project doesn’t add complexity to a farming operation – it brings clarity. It creates a single source of truth for the farm, supports better business decisions, and ultimately saves time for farmers while maximising project outcomes.
At CarbonLink, we see firsthand how strong record keeping goes hand‑in‑hand with successful soil carbon projects – and how it adds value well beyond the carbon project.
Everyday Farm Management
Modern farm management software has changed the way many producers track, understand and optimise their operations. For soil carbon projects, this shift is particularly powerful.
Under the Soil Method 2021, projects must account for all emissions sources across the farm. That requires reliable information on livestock numbers, fertiliser use, cropping rotations, inputs, and management practices over time. When this data is already being captured digitally as part of normal farm operations, soil carbon reporting becomes a by‑product – not a burden.
As Santos Amadeo, Project Manager at CarbonLink, explains, “The best‑run projects are almost always the ones with good record keeping already in place. It makes life easier for everyone!”
Digital record keeping tools enable data to be easily captured in soil carbon project management, while also supporting day‑to‑day business tracking, including profit and loss analysis.
“The information CarbonLink needs for the project is a lot of the same information the farmer needs to understand their business,” Santos explains.
Rather than creating duplicate systems, one set of records supports both outcomes.
What Best Practice Looks Like on the Ground
Chatsworth House: Livestock and Cropping Visibility
Chatsworth House is a strong example of effective record keeping in a soil carbon project that Santos manages. The operation uses AgriWebb for livestock data, paddock movements and headcounts, alongside Agworld to track inputs, machinery operations and seeding, supporting seasonal planning.
For Sarah and Tom Whinney, owners of Chatsworth House, this means clear visibility over inputs, movements and costs. For the soil carbon project, it means CarbonLink can easily and accurately access the data required to record emissions sources – without any hassle to the producer.
“When everything is in the one place, we can do what we need to do without any effort for the client,” Santos says. “We can access it, analyse it, and prepare project reports, all while the producer is focusing on their land.”
The result? Less back‑and‑forth, fewer interruptions to farm work, and smoother audit processes.
Manual Record Keeping Can Be Challenging
Challenges can arise when digital records aren’t in place. This is a common occurrence for properties that have been in the same family for generations, and particularly when succession transitions to the next generation.
For many farms in this situation, historical information has been recorded manually – in notebooks, loose papers, and memory. Over time, data reliability can become an issue.
The impacts?
- Difficulty answering basic questions like “When did I shift that mob into that paddock?” to more long-term questions like “How much calcium fertiliser did I use in a given year?”
- Limited visibility over historical management
- Increased complexity during soil carbon project audits
- Greater effort required to pass on accurate information to the next generation
“Producers tell us that trying to amalgamate notebooks and scribbles into records for historical management can be a headache,” says Santos.
Without a single source of truth, building a business case around inputs, emissions activities or capital costs can become a major challenge.
Tarrawonga: From Notebooks to Digital Confidence
Another CarbonLink project, Tarrawonga, is an example of a property that transitioned from manual records to digital farm management software, AgriWebb.
Tarrawonga producer, Tom Lahey, knows firsthand the challenges of relying on memory and paper records to run a grazing business.
“It was basically on the back of an envelope and in the head,” Tom says. “It became very challenging once there was more than just Dad involved in the business.”
Like many family farming operations, record keeping had evolved organically over time. While the system worked to a point, finding key information often became time-consuming, particularly when it came to grazing decisions, livestock numbers, and compiling information for accountants and reporting requirements.
“It was always a slog collecting numbers for the accountant and making grazing decisions,” Tom explains.
The move to AgriWebb was initially driven by a desire for better operational visibility. The Tarrawonga team wanted a more reliable way to track livestock movements, grazing performance and paddock utilisation across the property.
“For us, it was about collecting meaningful data and knowing where mobs are and managing grazing movements,” he says. “We can log in and get up-to-date information rather than stabbing in the dark.”
When Tarrawonga later commenced a soil carbon project with CarbonLink, the benefits of those digital records extended well beyond day-to-day farm management.
“The soil carbon project came after we started using AgriWebb,” he says. “We felt like we were already moving in the right direction by monitoring our progress properly, so when we decided to layer on a soil carbon project the process was quite simple.”
Because grazing and management records are already being captured as part of normal farm operations, CarbonLink project manager, Corey Groves, can access much of the information required for reporting on behalf of Tom directly through the AgriWebb platform.
“It’s unbelievable really. Everything grazing and management-related is in one spot,” Tom says. “All we have to do is keep the mobs and shifts updated, and CarbonLink can pull the data they need straight from the account.”
This means less administration and greater confidence that management decisions are being accurately captured within their soil carbon project over time.
The experience highlights an important reality of successful soil carbon projects: the records needed to support a project are often the same records that help run a better farming business.
CarbonLink’s Role: Removing the Burden
CarbonLink works with clients at all stages of digital maturity.
For farmers not currently using record keeping software, CarbonLink’s internal expertise allows the team to support projects using tailored spreadsheets and Project Monitoring Plans (PMPs) built around selected practice changes and emissions sources.
With good digital records in place CarbonLink can often prepare reports without contacting the farmer at all, meaning the farmer can stay focused on running their operation. Audit readiness is built in, not bolted on.
For those looking to move away from manual record keeping, today’s digital tools are increasingly accessible, affordable and easy to use. They don’t just simplify soil carbon reporting – they make farms easier to manage, audit and scale.
To support farmers looking to get started, CarbonLink partnered with AgriWebb, offering new and existing clients 30% off their first two years of the software.
Supporting Better Business Decisions
Beyond carbon, strong record keeping supports better farming decisions across the board:
- Clear visibility of inputs and costs
- Improved planning and forecasting
- Faster access to historical performance
- Easier transition between generations
“Better record keeping is better for business decisions. Tarrawonga is a great example of this,” Corey says simply.
And for younger or next‑generation farmers stepping into farm leadership and taking over or looking to start a soil carbon project, digital tools provide confidence, continuity and control.
Therefore, soil carbon projects don’t have to mean more admin, more stress or more paperwork.
With the right record keeping in place, they become an extension of good farm management – creating value, improving visibility, and freeing farmers to focus on what they do best.
For producers concerned that soil carbon projects mean more paperwork, Tom’s message is simple:
“Digital record keeping is a no-brainer in my opinion. If you’re already recording your grazing and management properly, it goes hand-in-hand with a soil carbon project. The information is there, and it works for both the business and the project.”
And as for going back to notebooks?
“There’s no way we’d ever go back to a notepad!”
