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|  | Thursday 22nd December 2011 Continued sales. International sales. It is my hope that, with potential publication of a digital version of this book, the volume of international sales will increase significantly in 2012. Digital publication. The production of a digital version of the book will completely resolve the problem that currently exists with the expense of international postage. I am hoping that this digital version will be available in June, 2012. Positive feedback. Word of mouth. Speaking engagements. These engagements have provided an additional way of spreading the positive message about how our farm livestock and the environment can work together to secure positive environmental outcomes. I am currently planning further engagements in 2012. Please contact me if you would like me to address your company convention, board room meeting, community group, Landcare Group, farmers’ organization, political party, school or university program or environmental interest group. I welcome further opportunities – on a professional speaker basis – to speak about the topic in my book. Correction to page 140. The correction of this figure does not alter the proposition that planned and controlled grazing of cattle in Highland settings may be methane neutral. It only alters the scale. The corrected text for the first three paragraphs of page 140 should now read:- 'The research was carried out in the Snowy Mountains region. The grazing land in the study had high organic matter at around 5% to 7%. These high country soils were found to oxidise methane and the rate of roughly 8.75 kg of methane per hectare per year. This is equal to more than 8 tonnes of methane oxidised over a highland grassy woodland grazing area of 1000 hectares. 'Planned and controlled grazing by 200 head of cattle or six months across the same area would produce about 5.4 tonnes of methane per year. ‘High country grazing may therefore be methane neutral and may even offset cow methane from other parts of the landscape. When the results were first announced, Prof Mark Adams, Dean of Sydney University's Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources said more work is needed to tighten up his initial calculations, and to determine exactly what is happening in the soils being studied.' The error and scale does not affect any of the further comment about methane made on pages 140, 141, 142. A correction slip, giving the corrected text to the first three paragraphs of page 140, is now being sent out with each copy of the book. More on methane potency. The way it is expressed - that is, that it is 23 times, or 25 times, the potency of carbon dioxide - is hugely flawed when it is applied to the life cycle analysis of the ship or cow. The corrected mathematics take a huge amount of ‘heat’ out of the attack that people make on livestock. The much touted 23 times, or 25 times, metric simply does not compare apples with apples. It is based on a poor analysis of the two gases. It does not compare the global warming potential of a molecule of carbon dioxide (CO2) with a molecule of methane (CH4). Instead it compares a kilogram of methane with a kilogram of carbon dioxide. Do you remember the periodic table from science classes at school? This table show the different 'weights' of different atoms. When the atomic weight of each of the atoms in a molecule are added up, they give the molecular weight of the molecule. Due to the molecular weight of carbon dioxide and methane being different, it requires 2.75 times the number of methane molecules to make up a kilogram than it does of carbon dioxide molecules. When this correction is made the potency of the methane molecule drops to around eight times that of carbon dioxide and even this figure, in turn, depends on a number of other assumption. When analyzing the cycle of an atom of carbon within the atmospheric carbon cycle - either as an atom within a methane molecule or as an atom within a carbon dioxide molecule - the sound way to compare its effect on potency of the two gases is to compare the two gases on a molecule for molecule basis. This is because each of the molecules contains only one atom of carbon. The more accurate global warming potential of a molecule of methane is:- This result is nothing like the figure often quoted by people who are vilifying farm livestock as enormous net creators of new global warming gases. Plans for 2012. Marketing emphasis. In 2012 I plan to be more effective in making sales to Australians in the cities. In particular, I want to reach urban dwellers who self-identify as being concerned about the environment but who may have little knowledge about how organic systems – such as the natural relationship between grazing animals and grasslands – work. I acknowledge that there is a significant proportion of these self-identifiers who honestly and earnestly believe that grazing animals add new global warming gases to the atmosphere. I also believe that, once shown the facts about how the natural atmospheric carbon cycle works, and how plants and animals can be managed to interact positively for the environment, this group of people will see the environmental benefits of well-managed farming and grazing programs. Digital publication. I am working towards the publication of a digital version of the book, with a well respected international publisher. This will facilitate a higher level of international sales. Christmas break. Far from being villains in the global warming debate, farmers and their livestock should be heroes of the environmental movement. Sales surpass 750! The great majority of sales have been within Australia but I can report that the first sales have taken place to New Zealand. I can also report that, just this weekend, I have commenced my sales campaign in the United States with a targeted email going out to a very small number of American cattle owners. Each of the emails has been individually addressed to a known cattle owner – it is not a mass email campaign to a vast number of unqualified email addresses. I hope to be able to report good progress with this campaign in the coming months. Word of mouth success Thank you to those people who have mentioned my book to others and suggested they buy a copy. Speaking engagements Since my last progress report I have spoken at a Farm Field Day at Braidwood, NSW, and at the Annual General Meeting of the Western Australian Lot Feeders Association in Perth. At the end of this week I will be attending a Farm Field Day at the property of Peter and Sue Reinke at ‘Toweran Park’ near Lowmead in Queensland. I am excited about this because Peter has told me he has already made advance sales of books to people attending the event. I am also excited because Peter and Sue have attracted a wide audience including farmers, environmentalists and politicians to hear the message. Thank you Peter and Sue for the invitation to speak at your Field Day. Wool sequestering carbon By turning the wool into a garment – or any other wool application such as bedding or insulation – the user is sequestering carbon from carbon dioxide sourced from the sky. This is a great green benefit to contemplate and re-enforces the proposition that our farmers and graziers – and the plants and animals they manage – should not be the villains of the global warming debate, they should be the heroes. This idea will be refined in the next week and you may see the promotional emails in the near future. Maybe it is a gift idea you might like to take up. In summary Reminder of the aim of the project In my last newsletter, 8th July 2010, I reported that sales were happening at a steady pace. I am continuing with my direct marketing telephone calls and achieving a successful rate of individual sales from this activity. In addition to my direct sales efforts, I can report the following further progress. Word of mouth sales One exciting sale that illustrates the spread of this word of mouth advertising happened last week when I called a person who had ordered six books. The person told me he had already read the book because it had been given to him by a friend. He was now purchasing six books to give away to people who, he felt, would appreciate the knowledge the book contains. Many other sales have happened in this way and I’d like to stress my appreciation for those who are spreading awareness about the book by word of mouth. Newcastle Herald The Opinion Piece will be published this week and will be a full page article in The Herald. The journalist has indicated I will get a good byline with contact details for the book. This is very helpful. Thanks to the unknown farmer who mentioned the book to Darrell Croker at The Herald. First Radio Interview AgQuip – Gunnedah National Dorper Forum The organizers of the event, Quadrant Australia, have also organized an interview with ABC regional radio, Dubbo, for the event. Thank you Quadrant. Goorambit Lamb Group Bookstores I hope the availability of the books in these important bookshops will start moving the message into the general ‘buzz’ of Canberra. Visibility on the internet Over the next week or so I will be making the necessary changes to the site to incorporate these words and phrases in a way that improves the visibility of the site to search engines. Let’s hope for a great result. Reminder of the aim of the project Conclusion Tuesday 8th July 2010 Progress Report No. 12 - Livestock and carbon emissions project
Things are going well It is some time since my last newsletter and I have been very excited with the progress in sales and promotion since the book was published.
Meat Profit Day. The first public outing for the book was at The Meat and Livestock Australia, Meat Profit Day in Melbourne on 30th April 2010. I received a very positive response from the people attending the event and made over 60 sales on the day. Since then there have been follow up sales which arose from our promotion on the day.
A banker gets it! One of the positive things that resulted in the trip to Melbourne was that we made sales into the general community of Melbourne not directly involved with the business of farming in any way. In one email I have received since then, the writer – a person in the banking and finance industry – told me that, although he regarded himself as reasonably smart, he had never realised that the carbon in cattle came out of the atmosphere. He also said that he had no idea that it was actually possible for farmers to intentionally draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it as soil carbon.
The important point here is that, while most farmers and graziers understand these things, many well educated and influential people in the city do not. If we can get more responses like this, we can start to see that the message is really getting through.
Dexter National Breed Show: I was fortunate to be invited to be a guest speaker at the celebration dinner at the Dexter National Breed Show which was held at Bendigo, Vic, in the third week of May. This was a great opportunity to spread the word about the book and make some good sales. As happened with the MLA event, there have also been follow up sales resulting from the Dexter Show.
Angus Society Newsletter; The Angus Society is one of the biggest and most successful breed societies in Australia. Following his reading of the book, the Society’s CEO was happy to place a recommendation for the book on the Society’s fortnightly email newsletter to its members. I have received a steady stream of phone, email and internet orders as a result of this publicity.
Book shop success: While the main marketing method for the book has not been planned to be through bookshops, I received an order from a bookshop in Victoria for six books about ten days ago. The books were supplied on consignment and the settlement terms for the consignment contract allowed for a period of months to pass for the books to be sold and the invoice paid. I was delighted when, only a week later, the book shop owner phoned me to report he had sold four of the books in just a few days and had settled the invoice by direct bank transfer.
First celebrity chef sale: I am keen that the message is not just confined to the farming and grazing community. I am very pleased to announce, therefore, that I have made my first sale to a person who is a high profile celebrity chef. I hope this will help carry the information in the book to the widest possible circle of public opinion in Australia.
Direct marketing success: I have been ‘rattling’ my email list and my general data base of people I know and gaining a steady stream of sales.
Come in Moscow! I am happy to report that the first international sale has been made and it’s to Moscow of all places. So the book is now being read overseas!
Orders on my website. A slow trickle of sales has started on my website and I’m sure this volume will increase as the word-of-mouth referrals and advertising gets around.
So things are going well and I am looking forward to a growing volume of sales.
Please become a promoter of the book I believe the issues raised in this book are vital in clearing up the myths about livestock and their carbon emissions. I believe the ideas in this book have to be communicated with a much wider audience than just the people who own livestock. For the message to be effective it has to be communicated with food writers, celebrity chefs, boutique butchers, thought leaders in the community, foodies generally, environmentalists, politicians and people at home in their own kitchens.
Please promote this book within your circle of friends, family, colleagues and business associates.
Reminder of the aim of the project To help correct mis-conceived ideas about livestock and their gas emissions. To replace these misconceptions with the positive role that farm livestock can play in sequestering carbon.
Conclusion It’s all happening!
Regards,
David Mason-Jones David Mason-Jones
Tuesday 20th April 2010 Great news I was really happy with the standard of presentation of the five samples and I believe the front cover will attract attention. I would describe the final version of the front cover as bright and glossy. The books were printed in Melbourne and the delivery date to NSW has been set as this Friday, 23rd April. Around 300 books will be left in Victoria for our participation in the MLA sponsored Southern Meat Profit Day in Melbourne on 30th April. Pre publication purchases As soon as the books are received the pre publication purchases will also be posted with highest priority – on Friday 23rd if possible. Other firm orders will be posted with an invoice on Friday, if possible, or on Tuesday 27th April (Monday 26th is the Anzac Day public holiday). First public exposure The second event is in NSW and is at the well attended Tocal Field Days in the Hunter Valley. The Field Days run from Friday 30th April to Sunday 2nd May. At Tocal the book will be available at the Small Farms Magazine bookshop and display area. Now available online The second site is the website of Small Farms Magazine – www.smallfarms.net . You can purchase the book by visiting this site and clicking through to the bookshop. Order by phone or email Please become a promoter of the book Please promote this book within your circle of friends, family, colleagues and business associates. Reminder of the aim of the project Conclusion Regards,
Monday 29th March 2010 Progress Report No. 10 - Livestock and carbon emissions project
A short progress report this time. The book is away with the printer and I am expecting to see a final mock up of the book today. The next step is to approve this final mock up and authorise the printer to go ahead.
The Easter Holiday causes a small delay in the printing schedule but I expect that the book will be available as early as 20th April. The book is being printed in Australia by Blueprint Australia, a company based at Gordon, NSW. The print run is 3500 copies.
Front and back covers The completed front and back covers are attached so you can get a sense of what the book will look like and how it will be presented.
The hard work is just beginning When discussing the completion of the work recently, a neighbour commented, ‘Well, the hard work is nearly over.’ With a print run of 3500, I think the reality might be that the hard work is just beginning. I really hope that, once the book is available, my friends, business associates and supporters will help promote it by word of mouth. I think the message in ‘Should meat be on the menu?’ is important to foodies, farmers and environmentalists alike and I am relying on other people to help spread the word.
Reminder of the aim of the project To help correct mis-conceived ideas about livestock and their gas emissions. To replace these misconceptions with the positive role that farm livestock can play in sequestering carbon.
Conclusion Just a short wait now.
Regards,
David Mason-Jones
Please contact me 0411 172 328 or david@journalist.com.au if you require any further information or if you would like to contribute financially, say by sponsoring an event or creating publicity for the project.
David Mason-Jones Progress Report No. 9 - Livestock and carbon emissions project
I am still on track for a publication date in mid April.
Editing progress The structure of the book has been changed slightly since my last report. Several chapters have been amalgamated so that there are now 45.
I have just come back from a weekend at the publisher’s office during which good progress was made in formatting the text into a computer program in readiness for publication. I will be spending another weekend at the publisher’s office this weekend and expect that, by the end of the weekend, the whole computer file will be ready for the printer.
Word count A count of the full text on the weekend showed 87,874 words.
Artwork Artwork for a small number of diagrams in the book is in final stages. Work on the cover is going well. Thanks to Mike Hitchcock for his work and suggestions.
Title The main title remains unchanged as, Should meat be on the menu? The subtitle however has been changed. We now favour something like, Carbon issues in our food: paddock to plate. This is shorter that the previous proposed subtitle and I think it will be more effective in drawing in restaurateurs, foodies and other Australians who are concerned about the environment and who live in urban areas. To me it is extremely important that the book not just be appealing for farmers and graziers. It must be appealing to urban dwellers as well.
Advance orders I am encouraged by the fact that I already have over 50 advance orders even before the book is printed.
Reminder of the aim of the project To help correct mis-conceived ideas about livestock and their gas emissions. To replace these misconceptions with the positive role that farm livestock can play in sequestering carbon.
Conclusion Things are going well. Thanks for your interest and support.
Regards,
David Mason-Jones
Please contact me 0411 172 328 or david@journalist.com.au if you require any further information or if you would like to contribute financially, say by sponsoring an event or creating publicity for the project. Monday 15th February 2010 Progress Report No. 8 - Livestock and carbon emissions project
Things are moving positively with the book. I am still on track for a publication date in April.
Editing progress The structure of the book remains unchanged since the last progress report. It consists of 49 chapters with two additional ‘author’s notes’ at the beginning of the book and at the end. Some of the chapters are very short – only about 1000 words – others are much longer and range up to about 3500 words.
At my last report to you I said that the whole book was basically at the first draft stage. This has now progressed to the stage where, this morning, a total of 25 chapters have been edited and are now at the second draft stage. I expect that, by mid week, I will have a further five chapters edited to second draft stage and, by the end of the coming weekend, I will have around 40 chapters to the second draft stage.
Thank you the friends and associates who have helped with editing chapters and feeding in their changes and suggestions.
Work with collecting the appropriate photographs and diagrams is proceeding well.
Meeting with the publisher I will be meeting with the publisher on Wednesday this week – Wed 17th Feb 2010 – for a full day session. The main aim of this session is to set up the template for the book in the form in which it will go to the printer. We will also be importing most of the second draft chapters which have been completed into the format on the publisher’s software.
From there we will print out PDFs of the formatted work and re-edit the pages to bring the text up to a third draft stage. I will be having further meetings with the publisher later this month and in March.
Front cover I have selected a photograph for the front cover and completed some trial work on the artwork for the cover on my own computer. I have market researched the front cover by showing it to people and I have received a positive response.
Cracked flower pot photo In one of my chapters I refer to the fact that roots of plants can grow so strongly that they can crack flower pots open. I do not, however, have a photo of this phenomenon. If, at your home, you happen to have a flower pot which has been cracked by the action of expanding roots, could you please take a few photographs – and email them to me. They need to be close up so you can clearly see the crack in the pot. Alternatively, phone me to discuss.
I would also appreciate it if you have any good photographs of roots of plants cracking things – such as foundations of buildings, retaining walls, roads, pathways and so on, please email them to me or phone me to discuss.
Connecting with thought leaders I have earlier stated that this book is not just for farmers and graziers who are directly in the livestock business. I really need to connect with thought leaders in the cities particularly in industries connected with food distribution and the restaurant business. I want to get through to the foodies and include them in the conversation about farmers and their livestock. I want to bring to their attention the neutral role that livestock play in the atmospheric carbon dioxide cycle and how livestock can be used to draw down what the government has defined as the excess level of carbon dioxide.
Therefore I need introductions to influential restaurateurs, food writers, environmentalists, social commentators, TV editors and people who could be regarded as thought leaders in their communities. So my request is that, if you have a close connection with anyone who is a thought leader – I know it’s a vague term – would you consider putting me in contact with them? I think these people could be valuable in helping to market the book and in communicating the message generally. Please email or phone me to discuss.
Reminder of the aim of the project To help correct mis-conceived ideas about livestock and their gas emissions. To replace these misconceptions with the positive role that farm livestock can play in sequestering carbon.
Conclusion Things are going well. Thanks for your interest and support.
Regards,
David Mason-Jones
Please contact me 0411 172 328 or david@journalist.com.au if you require any further information or if you would like to contribute to the project. There are several opportunities for commercial sponsors to contribute. How would you like to sponsor the launch or part of the media campaign?
******** Progress Report No. 7 - Livestock and carbon emissions project This is the first progress report for 2010 following the Christmas and New Year break. I have been busy working on the project over Christmas and have some good news. Aim of the project To help correct mis-conceived ideas about livestock and their gas emissions. To replace these misconceptions with the positive role that farm livestock can play in sequestering carbon. Significant financial support Shortly after my last progress report in December I was contacted by two private individuals with an enquiry about how they could assist the project. I informed them that the most pressing need at the moment was for sponsorship with the cost of printing. After some discussion about options the couple has very generously supported the project with a contribution of over $10,500. This is a fabulous addition to the war chest and basically means that I can get on with the writing and editing process with a major financial pressure lifted from my shoulders. While the couple wishes to remain anonymous I think it is appropriate that I should give a public acknowledgement that someone out there has been so generous. I thank the anonymous individuals for their generous support. While on the topic of fundraising I cannot help make a further comment. I find it fascinating that the sources of hard dollar support for this project have been private individuals. Much earlier in the project I had canvassed a range of farmer organisations, breed societies, institutions and corporations in the meat industry. Perhaps naively I had thought that these organisations would have had such a vested interest in communicating the message I wanted to convey, that they would all rush out and nail my foot to the ground. This didn’t happen and I was delayed in my initial quest to publish before Christmas. As I have further researched the book, and sought out innovative farmers and graziers who are managing livestock to draw down excess atmospheric carbon dioxide and sequester as soil carbon in soils, I find the pattern is that private individuals are the ones doing the innovation, not generally organisations. Tentative launch date I am currently working towards a tentative launch date of Another exciting development is that Peter Andrews, of Natural Sequence Farming, has agreed to launch the book. Peter is well known in many circles including, importantly, concerned citizens in our regional cities and capital cities who are concerned about restoring our environment. I believe Peter’s presence at the launch will draw a large amount of general public interest as well as significant attention from the media. Text and structure progress A recent word count revealed around 87,000 words. These are currently organized into 49 chapters. Some of the chapters are very short – only about 1000 words – others are much longer and range up to about 4000 words. I regard the whole book as now being at the first draft stage. I have also included a number of case studies of farmers and graziers who are successfully using livestock to sequester carbon in their soils. The work I have to do now is to edit the chapters, add some more information and statistics where appropriate, and move to the completion of a second draft. I have a team of editors going through and editing chapters right at this very moment. Connecting with thought leaders I have earlier stated that this book is not just for farmers and graziers who are directly in the livestock business. I really need to connect with thought leaders in the cities particularly in industries connected with food distribution and the restaurant business. I want to get through to the foodies and include them in the conversation about farmers and their livestock. I want to bring to their attention the neutral role that livestock play in the atmospheric carbon dioxide cycle and how livestock can be used to draw down what the government has defined as the excess level of carbon dioxide. Therefore I need introductions to influential restaurateurs, food writers, environmentalists, social commentators, TV editors and people who could be regarded as thought leaders in their communities. So my request is that, if you have a close connection with anyone who is a thought leader – I know it’s a vague term – would you consider putting me in contact with them? I think these people could be valuable in helping to market the book and in communicating the message generally. Please email or phone me to discuss. Working title Reaction to the working title I told you about in my pre Christmas Progress Report has been positive. The current working title is: Should meat be on the menu? The sub title is: What every foodie, farmer and environmentalist needs to know about meat and global warming. Conclusion Things are going well. Thanks for your interest and support. Best wishes for 2010. I hope this will be a successful and prosperous year for you. Regards, David Mason-Jones Please contact me 0411 172 328 or david@journalist.com.au if you require any further information or if you would like to contribute to the project. There are several opportunities for commercial sponsors to contribute. How would you like to sponsor the launch or part of the media campaign?
Progress Report No. 6 - Livestock and carbon emissions project This is the last progress report I will send for 2009. I will be taking a beak in reporting until mid January 2010. I will not however be taking a break in activity. I completed my regular magazine deadlines for 2009 in early December and, since then, have made massive progress on the text of the book. Aim of the project To help correct mis-conceived ideas about livestock and their gas emissions. To replace these misconceptions with the positive role that farm livestock can play in sequestering carbon. Working title It is not unusual for a book to go through several working titles before the final title is selected. A previous working title I was working with was probably a bit too arty and ‘clever’ and so I have now settled on a more pedestrian title that more clearly states what the book is all about. The current working title is: Should meat be on the menu? The sub title is: What every foodie, farmer and environmentalist needs to know about meat and global warming. Working title – any suggestions? I am still open to suggestions for a better working title and final title. I am looking for something short which attracts the browser’s attention in a book shop but which also makes the topic of the book clear. If you have an idea for an appealing title please email me with your suggestion. Thanks to Michael Kiely, Convenor of the Carbon Coalition Against Global Warming, and Louise Kelly, Director of Hearts and Minds, for their input and suggestions about the title. Action so far Since my last report I have continued working on draft chapters. In the last report I reported that I had completed 17 chapters to a first draft stage. # Writing draft chapters continues. I have now progressed to a total of 41 first draft chapters written. I only have around four of five first draft chapters to finish. As you will see, the number of chapters has ballooned out since my earlier predictions of about 33 chapters. This is for two reasons. Firstly, some of the chapters were becoming so long it just made sense to break the various components of that chapter into two separate chapters. Secondly, my aim is to a series of short chapters which can easily be read as a stand alone topic – almost in the way that an individual article in a magazine can be read without having to read the whole magazine. With this approach some of the chapters are as short as 1000 words. Some others are much longer at around 2500 – 3000 words. The total word length of the entire book is currently in the range of 65,000 – 70,000 words. # Approaches to publishers. In the past two weeks I have approached two potential publishers who I assessed might be interested in this type of topic. Negotiations with publishers can often be a matter of sudden death with the harsh words ‘not interested’ being heard more often than not. So, having said that, I am reasonably encouraged by the responses so far. I would describe the response from each as a glimmer of interest which, in the publishing industry, is something quite positive. Both have asked to see further drafts from the book. # Approaches to printers. Separately from the approaches to publishers I have also approached two printers in Aim of the project Just to remind you the aim of this book is to help correct mis-conceived ideas about livestock and their gas emissions. To replace these misconceptions with the positive role that farm livestock can play in sequestering carbon. Conclusion The hard work continues. The time is right for the publication of this book because the public need to understand the issues. Thanks for your interest and support. I will continue to keep you informed. I extend my best wishes for the Christmas season and hope you will have a happy and prosperous new year. Regards, David Mason-Jones Please contact me 0411 172 328 or david@journalist.com.au if you require any further information or if you would like to contribute to the project.
Progress Report No. 5 - Livestock and carbon emissions project This is my fifth progress report to you. Aim of the project To help correct mis-conceived ideas about livestock and carbon emissions. To replace these misconceptions with the positive role that farm livestock can play in sequestering carbon. Action so far Since my last report I have continued working on draft chapters and commencing editing revisions of previous chapters. In the last report I reported that I had completed 14 chapters to a first draft stage. # Writing draft chapters continues. I have now progressed to a total of 17 first draft chapters written. # Working title. The title of a book is never absolutely settled until the book goes to the publishers. However, the working title at this stage is, “The boy in the wheat field” and the subtitle is “Carbon issues in our food chain: Are farmers villains or heroes?” The reference to the boy in the wheat field refers to an experience I had as a child. I stood in a wheat field at harvest time and worried about the idea that all this harvest came out of the ground. I later realized that it didn’t come out of the ground it came out of the gases in the atmosphere – just as my school text books had told me. This insight forms the basis of the rest of the book because all the carbon in plant and animal production comes out of the sky and returns to the sky. Plant and animal growth has nothing to do with fossil fuel burning at all. It’s all a closed loop in the atmosphere. # Gaining feedback on chapters. I have sent the text for the very first chapter out to several people, including one soil scientist, for their comment. The feedback I have received on this chapter has been positive with respect to both readability and scientific accuracy. In the next week or so I will be sending a further draft chapter out for comment. # Public speaking on the issue. On I acknowledge the vendors and Landmark, Mackay, for facilitating my visit to Nebo and thank them for their support. While at Nebo I also completed an ABC Rural Radio interview a TV news interview for Channel 7 Mackay. So the word’s getting out there. # Magazine article. In the last progress report I told about the positive attitude of Professor Tim Flannery and others – including The Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists – toward the role livestock can play in soil carbon sequestration. I have now written a magazine article about this for publication in the Jan 2010 issue of Small Farms Magazine. During his talk, among other things, Professor Flannery said that plants do a really important job for the environment. Every year they draw down around 8% of all the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. He said that plants and animals have evolved together all the time they have been on earth. Acting together they help sequester carbon in the landscape. He also said that by using this relationship between plants and animals in These messages, and the support of people like Tim Flannery, are great news for those wishing to draw the attention of the public to the important role farm livestock can play in drawing down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The Wentworth Group paper. The really encouraging thing for the groundswell of support coming from the most influential scientists is that it is not just coming from one or two new lone voices. The Wentworth Group recently published a paper solidly supporting the role that farmers can play in soil carbon sequestration. Just to give the flavour of what the group says about the potential for soil carbon sequestration, one prominent statement in the executive summary says, ’Changing farming practices, such as Carbon Grazing, have the potential to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases while simultaneously increasing productivity, reducing costs and producing wider natural resource management benefits.’ The 28 page document is titled Optimising Carbon in the Australian Landscape. The paper also states in the executive summary, ‘At a global scale, a 15% increase in the world’s terrestrial carbon stock would remove the equivalent of all the carbon pollution emitted from fossil fuels since the beginning of the industrial revolution.’ Also … ‘If we plan wisely, terrestrial carbon presents an economic opportunity of unparalleled scale to address a range of other great environmental challenges confronting Australia: repairing degraded landscapes, restoring river corridors, improving the condition of our agricultural soils, and conserving Australia’s biodiversity.’ Conclusion The hard work continues. The time is right for the publication of this book because the public need to understand the issues. Thanks for your interest and support. I will continue to keep you informed. David Mason-Jones Please contact me 0411 172 328 or +61 2 6572 4395 or david@journalist.com.au if you require any further information or if you would like to contribute to the project.
Progress Report No. 4 - Livestock and carbon emissions project This is my fourth progress report to you. Aim of the project To help bust the myths about livestock and carbon emissions. To replace these myths with the positive role that farm livestock can play in sequestering carbon. Action so far Since my last report I have continued working on draft chapters and commencing editing revisions of previous chapters. In the last report I reported that I had completed 12 chapters to a first draft stage. # Writing draft chapters continues. I have now progressed that to a total of 14 first draft chapters written. # Case study farm visits. On Friday 13th November I visited an historic property which has carried out a complete transformation of grazing methods from the old style of set stocking to an environmentally sustainable management regime. This new management system involved controlled grazing as one of its elements. The property visited was the 7500 acre (3000ha) Owners of the property, George and Melinda King, have more than doubled the stocking rate in the past 14 years and have done this without ‘forcing’ the productivity gains through the use of chemicals, fertilizers, or other ‘industrial farming’ practices. They have done it by creating the environment where the sun’s energy can most effectively be converted into grass growth and that grass growth can most effectively be converted into their farm’s product; that is, beef. In the process George and Melinda have created the circumstances where there is now well over 90% ground cover on the property. This compares with the situation where the ground cover was only between 30% and 40% when George took over management of the property. They have created the circumstances for strong soil carbon sequestration to take place. This visit is a great case stud which will be useful in the book. Professor Tim Flannery and others seminar on 10th Nov 09 I attended a fabulous lunchtime seminar on the topic ‘Can red meat be green?’ conducted at St Ignatius’ College at Riverview in The speakers were; Prof Tim Flannery, Chair, Copenhagen Climate Council, Professor, Macquarie University; Dr. Nick Costa, Professor of Sustainable Agriculture, Murdoch University; Corey Watts, Regional Project Manager, The Climate Institute; and Sam Archer, Livestock Producer. It was a real delight to hear these influential speakers speak in such positive terms about the way in which ruminant animals, managed correctly, can draw down carbon dioxide and store in the soil. Full points to Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) for their role in sponsoring this event. Announcement by Senator Penny Wong. On Sunday 15th November it was announced that the Government had agreed to permanently exempt agriculture from the proposed ETS legislation. This, of course, makes good sense on scientific grounds because the emissions of livestock were always a part of the natural atmospheric carbon cycle. They were never ‘new’ emissions such as those that occur from fossil fuel burning. This by no means takes the urgency out of writing this book. It appears to be a legislative victory at this stage and is not yet a public opinion victory. It will be no good if there is a rearguard action by some politicians, lobbyists, interest groups, journalists and the public at large who point to the exclusion of Agriculture and claim that it was just a victory for the farming lobby. What is necessary at this stage is that the message about livestock and the carbon dioxide cycle must still be communicated so that people truly understand it and don’t just accept it as a case of power politics. Brahman Bull I am looking forward with great excitement to attending the Brahman Bull Sale at Nebo, Qld, this coming Friday (20th Nov). I have been invited to speak and think this is a great opportunity to promote the cause and to promote the book. Conclusion I strongly believe that the time is right for the publication of this book. Thanks for your interest and support. I will continue to keep you informed. Regards, David Mason-Jones Please contact me 0411 172 328 or +61 2 6572 4395 or david@journalist.com.au if you require any further information or if you would like to contribute to the project. ******* Progress Report No. 3 - Livestock and carbon emissions project This is my third progress report to you. Aim of the project To help bust the myths about livestock and carbon emissions. To replace these myths with the positive role that farm livestock can play in sequestering carbon. Action so far In the past fortnight since my last reporting I have continued working on draft chapters. In the last progress report I said that I had drafts for eight of the 34 chapters. # Writing draft chapters continues. I have now progressed that to a total of twelve draft chapters written. Importantly I have started drafting the various notes and sources I have about methane into the initial methane chapter. My work on this chapter is not included in the tally of twelve chapter drafts above. # Case study farm visits. This week I have visited two farms and taken a huge number of notes and photos. One of these cases will be told in a new chapter I intend to call “Farming without a tractor”. This shows how one farmer has been able to carry out his pasture renovation tasks using managed grazing impact rather than a tractor. While I do not intend in the book to make a wholesale call for people to get rid of tractors, this case study will show that grazing can be used in innovative ways which many readers, particularly in urban Australia, are totally unaware. The grazing method on this farm has created 100% - and I mean 100 %!! – ground cover at all times. It has meant that carbon has not been lost from the soil through ploughing and that the settings are right for soil carbon sequestration to be taking place. This farm management technique has also meant that the land is productive for managed rotational grazing at all times and that there are no unproductive periods as represented by a ploughed field left in fallow. The case study shows that at least some of the fossil fuel inputs (ie, the tractor’s fuel) to grazing can be eliminated from the carbon footprint of a farm. # The lady bird that changed my mind. I have also taken notes and photos for a new chapter which I intend to add to the book as a case study. The working title for this chapter is 'The lady bird that changed my mind'. I was walking back to my car through a lucerne paddock after taking some photos of a farmer spraying out a biodynamic preparation. Suddenly I noticed a tiny red fleck near my boots. I stooped down. It was a ladybird. Then I saw another, and another. The density of these ladybird was around 10 per square metre and they were very active in eating aphids. Once my eye became adjusted I could see them everywhere even when I was just walking along. 'We never spray aphids,' commented the farmer after he dismounted his tractor to see what I was looking at. 'We just never have to. The ladybirds clean them up for us.’ Maybe this chapter could be called, ‘The ladybird that convinced me'. The point about the chapter will be that modern farmers using modern understandings of biological processes on their farms can be the agents of environmental restoration. Farmers who act in this way - including the way they graze their livestock and sequester carbon - are, in fact, environmental activists. The Wentworth Group of concerned scientists I am very much heartened by the positive attitude of When combined with the knowledge that farm livestock can be managed and grazed in such a way to actively facilitate the build up of soil carbon, the attached document is wonderful news for us all. The real urgency now surrounding this issue, in my opinion, is to now communicate these scientific opinions with members of the broader public and also with influential government ministers and high-level public servants. I'm very keen with my book to help take part in this process and I believe the time is right for such a book. Professor Tim Flannery and others 10 Nov 09 I have been delighted to receive an invitation to attend a seminar being sponsored by Meat and Livestock Australia in The speakers are; Prof Tim Flannery, Chair, Copenhagen Climate Council, Professor, Macquarie University; Dr. Nick Costa, Professor of Sustainable Agriculture, Murdoch University; Corey Watts, Regional Project Manager, The Climate Institute; and Sam Archer, Livestock Producer. Given the fact that Prof Tim Flannery is a member of the Wentworth Group, and the Wentworth Group's recent document is so positive about the role that soil carbon sequestration can play, I am hopeful that the information conveyed in the seminar will be very exciting and positive. A report on this seminar will be included in my next progress email to you. Financial support Unfortunately I have no further financial support to report at this stage. Please, if you have a vested interest in reversing some of the misinformation that is out there about the carbon footprint of livestock, please contact me to see how you can help. Conclusion The hard slog continues. The need for financial support still exists as a pressing concern for the project. Thanks for your interest and support. I will continue to keep you informed. Regards, Please contact me 0411 172 328 or +61 2 6572 4395 or david@journalist.com.au if you require any further information or if you would like to contribute to the project. ***** Progress Report No. 2 - Livestock and carbon emissions project This is my second report about this project. This report lists the progress of my Livestock and carbon emissions project as at Aim of the project To help bust the myths about livestock and carbon emissions. To replace these myths with the positive role that farm livestock can play in sequestering carbon. Action so far In the past month since my last reporting I have laid out a detailed chapter plan for the book. At this stage this involves a total of 34 chapters. In broad brush the sequence of the information as it in presented is: # The first 14 Chapters – issues related to the atmospheric carbon cycle and how farm livestock only access existing carbon from plants which access it from the existing stock of atmospheric carbon dioxide. This is different from a power station which gets its carbon from coal deep in the ground, burns it and turns it into new carbon dioxide. The first 13 chapters also introduce the idea of soil carbon sequestration and the role livestock can play in this. # The next 6 Chapters – deal with the methane issue and puts it in the context of the natural atmospheric carbon cycle of the inter-reaction between the atmosphere and the biosphere. One of these chapters also deals with the nitrous oxide issue. # The next 4 Chapters – deal with a range of issues including environmental issues, food security issues, issues related to the need for wilderness areas, bio diversity issues, # The next 4 Chapters – provide some positive case studies of farmers using livestock to raise the carbon levels on their farms. By doing this they are responding to the need the Australian Government has recognized to drawdown atmospheric loads of carbon dioxide. They are also acting, of course, directly in the direction of their own vested interest; that is, to improve farm soil carbon levels and, with them, soil health. # Last 6 Chapters – a bit of a mixture at this stage. These chapters include concepts like moving beyond the concept of sustainability towards the concept of regenerative – or capital gain – farming. The last six chapters include a review of what some major research bodies in So far I have written the first drafts of eight chapters and this amounts to around 15,000 words. Public speaking engagements # Gresford Landcare – I have had one very successful public speaking engagement in which my message was very well received. This was at the Gresford ( Speaking in public is valuable because it gives me the opportunity to test my message in front of an audience which may include detractors. So far in my public speaking on the subject no none has stood up at question time to take fundamental issue with anything I have said. This is encouraging. # Beef Country Bull Financial support I have received further financial support from individuals. The financial support received from companies in rural business and from farmer organizations has still been disappointing. I have received a number of verbal agreements from individuals for pre-purchase of the book when it nears completion. I have received general agreement from several breed societies and farmer organizations that, after their review of the book when published, that they may assist with marketing by informing their membership lists about the book. General public mood As the Copenhagen Conference draws closer I get the feeling that the general public is more ready to consider individual issues about global warming gases – such as the role livestock play in the atmospheric carbon cycle. This contrasts with the position just six or eight months ago when the public was less prepared to look critically at some of the assertions put about farm livestock and the carbon cycle. Conclusion It’s now into the hard slog to get the book written. The need for financial support still exists as a pressing concern for the project. Thanks for your interest and support. I will continue to keep you informed. Regards,
Please contact me 0411 172 328 or +61 2 6572 4395 or david@journalist.com.au if you require any further information or if you would like to contribute to the project. ****** Progress Report No. 1 - Livestock and carbon emissions project This report lists the progress of my Livestock and carbon emissions project as at Aim of the project To help bust the myths about livestock and carbon emissions. To replace these myths with the positive role that farm livestock can play in sequestering carbon. Action so far I have advertised the project in rural publications throughout I have made direct approaches to major organisations such as Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), National Farmers Federation, NSW Farmers Association, AgForce, Pastoralists and Graziers Association, cattle breed societies, Grain Growers Association, and others. I have also directly approached many private individuals. I have started writing the draft of the book Results so far As with any sales and marketing campaign the results have been a combination of both positives and negatives. On the positive side I have received a generous financial contribution from one former farmer in the range of several thousand dollars. I have also received in-kind support in the form of free and discounted advertising to a value of more than $2000. I have received agreements from highly credible individuals in the scientific field, and from one research body, to assist with scientific information about the project. I have received a number of verbal agreements from individuals for pre-purchase of the book when it nears completion. I have received general agreement from several breed societies and farmer organizations that, after their review of the book when published, that they may assist with marketing by informing their membership lists about the book. On the negative side I have received a knock-back to my approach to the MLA requesting them to financially support my project. I had made it clear to MLA that the book could be written to come completely within their brief to abstain from debating government policy. While the MLA gave me a good hearing, and congratulated me on my enthusiasm, they nevertheless said that they did not want to be seen in public to be backing me in my message. They even said that to back me publicly would reduce the credibility of my message – figure that one out! I can’t hide my disappointment with the MLA’s attitude. Two major breed societies have also declined to directly support the project financially. So, the results so far are a mixture of plusses and minuses. My dedication to the task is undeterred by the disappointment of the negatives. I am encouraged by the positives. Speaking engagements I have been given several speaking opportunities. Kioloa Dialogue. On the weekend of 12th and 13th September I attended a seminar at ANU’s coastal campus at Kioloa near Landcare AGM. I have received an invitation to speak on the subject at the AGM of an active Hunter Valley Landcare Group in early October. I look forward to this opportunity. Beef Country Bull I have received an invitation to speak about the subject at the Beef Country Bull Sale at Nebo, Qld, on 20th November. Nebo is about 120km inland from Mackay and the sale will be attended by a large number of cattle producers from Conclusion The task of raising funds is proving more difficult than I had expected. Despite this there is significant awareness out there about what I am doing. I am continuing to move in the direction of the goal. Thanks for your interest and support. I will continue to keep you informed. |
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