Agricultural grasslands account for >90% of the area farmed in NI and represent a very important land use type, which is fundamental for delivering environmental sustainability, climate change targets and efficient agri-food production. Northern Ireland’s soils are a major terrestrial sink for organic carbon. Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a key component of soil organic matter. The ability of NI farmers to both maintain and enhance organic carbon levels in soils on their farms will be vital to achieving good soil health, grass production, nutrient use efficiency and carbon sequestration across Northern Ireland’s 24,000 farms (DAERA, 2023). The primary aim of the CAFRE Soil Carbon Coring Project is to establish a baseline of carbon stored in soil across each of the CAFRE farms covering a range of farm systems, soil types, and land uses.
About the project
The project includes the five CAFRE Farm Centres; the Greenmount Dairy Centre, Beef and Sheep Centre, Hill Farm Centre, Loughry Campus and Enniskillens Equine Centre. The CAFRE Carbon Coring Project sampled over 1200 hectares of land across lowland to upland areas, mineral to peat soils and a sample of woodlands, hedgerows, agroforestry and field margins within each farm. The project is funded via the DAERA Carrier Bag levy.
Project Objectives:
- To establish a baseline for soil carbon stocks at four profile layers on agricultural land up to one metre depth in the soil profile.
- To establish a baseline for soil nutrient and carbon properties in the topsoil profile (0-7.5 cm in grassland fields and 0-15 cm in arable fields).
- To capture soil carbon data across a wide range of farms, fields, soil types, land uses and climatic conditions.
- To use project results to inform best sustainable land management practices that will protect current soil carbon stocks, enhance soil carbon sequestration, and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions associated with land use and land management practices on lowland and upland agricultural enterprises.
- Support delivery of DAERA farming for carbon policies, the Northern Ireland Climate Change Act 2022 and the CAFRE College Estate Strategy, in particular the target to be 50% Carbon Neutral by 2030.
What is being measured?
In February and March 2025, Agricarbon UK – a specialist soil carbon sampling company sampled close to 240 fields and will provide a detailed assessment of each farm’s soil carbon stocks at a field level and will provide key information on:
- – Total carbon stock (t).
- – Average carbon stock (t / acre or ha).
- – Standard deviation carbon stock (t / acre or ha).
- – Average soil depth (mm).
- – Mean Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) %.
- – Mean Total Dry Bulk Density (g / cm3).
- – Broad nutrient analysis and soil carbon properties (0-7.5 cm soil profile in grassland, 0-15 cm soil profile in arable land).
The CAFRE Soil Carbon Coring Project will provide a key baseline of existing soil carbon stocks and will be the starting point for tracking changes in soil carbon and sequestration over time also identifying where there are opportunities to make improvements. Data generated from the project will help inform future CAFRE climate change mitigation and carbon sequestration innovations and demonstration projects to Northern Irish farmers and undergraduate students at CAFRE. Results from the CAFRE soil Carbon Coring Project are hoped to be available in early Summer 2025.