Soil carbon projects · Australia
You're already
improving your soil.
Why not get paid for it?
If you're running stock and looking after your country, you're likely building soil carbon right now. There's a government-backed scheme that pays you for it — and most of what you've heard about it is wrong.
Section 1
What a carbon project is not
"You lock up your land and plant trees."
That's a different kind of project — one designed around vegetation, not soil. Soil carbon projects don't require tree planting or taking land out of production. You keep producing.
"You have to destock and let the place go."
The land must remain agriculturally productive for the full duration of the project. Stocking rates can fluctuate — that's normal farming — but this is not about locking up land. It's built around working country, not idle country.
"They'll tell me how to run my property."
We don't prescribe how you farm. The method requires that at least one eligible activity is new or materially different from your baseline — but farmers taking care of their land are making small changes every season anyway. We'll help you identify which one to formalise.
"If my carbon drops, I owe money back."
There is no penalty for natural, weather-driven fluctuations in soil carbon. The system works like a ratchet — if carbon drops, you simply don't get paid again until you're back above your previous high. Nothing is clawed back for drought or seasonal variation.
"It's all government red tape and paperwork."
Think about how you handle tax. You engage an accountant — they deal with the ATO, manage the paperwork, and you get on with running the property. AgriProve works exactly the same way for your carbon project. Every audit, every form, every regulator interaction is handled for you.
"Only works if you've got poor soils."
You're paid on the increase, not the starting point. Well-managed country with healthy soils gets paid when carbon goes higher. Your good stewardship is your competitive advantage.
Ready to find out what your country could generate?
Free Horizon Snapshot — satellite-based ACCU estimate for your property. No obligation.
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Section 2
What it actually is
Three things every farmer cares about: productivity, profitability, sustainability. A soil carbon project delivers on all three — simultaneously. Here's how.
01 · Revenue
A new income line — straight to the bottom
Beyond the initial baseline sampling, this doesn't sit on the cost side of your balance sheet. When your soil carbon increases, you receive ACCUs you can sell or hold. Direct income from the land you're already working.
02 · Technology
Satellite monitoring via HORIZON, every month
AgriProve's HORIZON model covers your entire property monthly. The moment it detects an increase, we trigger sampling — so you never leave money on the table.
03 · Cost structure
One upfront cost. Then nothing.
You pay for the initial soil baseline. Every cost after that is covered by AgriProve. We earn 25% only when you earn. If you get nothing, we get nothing.
04 · Optionality
Your ACCUs — keep them or sell them
Once credited, ACCUs are yours. Sell through a broker immediately, hold for future sale, or use as an internal carbon offset. Your timing, your decision.
05 · Eligibility
The activity must be new — but you're likely already part-way there
The method requires at least one activity that is new or materially different from your baseline practices. Farmers taking care of their land are making changes every season — the question is which one to formalise.
06 · Stacking
Stack water quality credits on top
Murray-Darling catchment farmers can stack ACWIS water quality credits alongside soil carbon credits on the same land. Two revenue streams, one paddock. Limited pilots available now.
The AgriProve process
1
Baseline
You pay for the initial baseline sampling. This sets your starting point. Best done in a lower year — more headroom to grow.
2
HORIZON monitors
Monthly satellite assessment across your whole property. 80% accuracy model, trained on 20,000+ Australian soil samples.
3
Carbon rises
Model detects increase. AgriProve triggers and pays for the verification sample. We handle everything from there.
4
You get paid
ACCUs are issued within 6–12 weeks of audit. Sell through a broker or hold them. 75% is yours.
Want us to run the model over your property?
We'll send you a Horizon Snapshot within 24–48 hours. Free. Just need your property boundaries.
Get your free report →
Section 3
Does it actually work?
45
Projects credited in Australia
139,719
Total ACCUs issued
$37
Current ACCU spot price
Update at publication
150,000+
Hectares under management
Real result · Queensland station
$450,000 paid out. Four years in.
A large Queensland station ran 9 separate projects, structured by soil type and landscape. Baseline cost across all nine: $60,000. Four years later, four of nine showed increases. Their 75% payout cheque: $450,000. They didn't transform their operation — they formalised one change and got paid for carbon that had been building in their soil all along.
Real result · NSW
28 ACCUs per hectare. In one year.
Expected rate: 2–3 ACCUs/ha/year. One project came in at 28 per hectare — far enough outside normal range that two government soil scientists audited it. They confirmed the result. Management-driven, not rainfall-driven.
Real result · Lockhart district
Three of ten farmers at a field day — all being credited.
At a recent field day with 10 mixed farmers near Lockhart, 3 had active AgriProve projects. All 3 had been credited or were in the process of being credited. One said: "I wish I'd done it earlier — the data alone is worth it."
Market trajectory
Multiple independent analysts forecast significant price growth before 2035.
EY's central estimate puts the ACCU price around $75 by 2035. Not financial advice — but the direction of travel is supported by multiple independent modelling firms.
Indicative return calculator
Adjust the fields below — your estimated return updates instantly.
Eligible area (~90% of total)
Conservative: 2 · Good year: 6–10
$
Current market: $37 · EY 2035 est: $75 (not financial advice)
Total ACCUs generated per year
2,000
Your share — 75% (after AgriProve 25% fee)
1,500
At your chosen spot price
× $37
Estimated annual return
$55,500 / yr
Indicative only — actual returns depend on verified carbon increases measured by AgriProve's HORIZON model. A good year at 6–10 ACCUs/ha is achievable on strong pastoral country. Call 1300 GO SOIL for a free property-level estimate.
See the real number for your property — not a generic estimate.
The Horizon Snapshot uses your actual boundaries, soil type and rainfall data. Takes us 24–48 hours.
Get your free report →
Common questions
The things people actually ask
Straight answers to the questions that come up on every farm visit.
Farmers are not used to something that goes directly to their bottom line with no purchase required. Every other improvement — bigger equipment, better genetics, more inputs — sits on the cost side of the balance sheet. The work you're already putting into your land is what makes this possible. You formalise one eligible change, and the program pays you for the carbon you build from now on. That's why it sounds strange — and it's all the more reason to get started as soon as possible.
The methodology determination has its own legislative durability — methodology determinations continue to apply to existing projects even after they are revoked or expire. When the Carbon Farming Initiative was superseded by the Emissions Reduction Fund in 2014, all existing projects continued without interruption. Historical precedent strongly supports that registered projects run to their full term regardless of scheme-level changes. But this is a question worth putting to your solicitor.
The project attaches to the land, not to you personally. If you've been generating carbon income, that's an asset any farming buyer would want to continue. A buyer who wants to farm the land has every reason to keep the contract running. You'd retain all credits earned to that point regardless.
In many cases, yes — and your well-managed country is your advantage. The HORIZON model assesses increases based on your specific soils, rainfall, aspect and ground cover data. Farmers with already-healthy soil and strong ground cover have good trajectories. The free Horizon Snapshot will show you what the model thinks is possible for your specific country.
Yes — cropping clients have been credited. Cover cropping, stubble retention, converting to reduced or no-till, addressing nutrient deficiencies, legume species use — all are eligible activities. Livestock country tends to show stronger results, but mixed and cropping farms are viable. The Horizon Snapshot will give you a property-specific estimate.
The eligible activity covers altering the stocking rate, duration or intensity of grazing to promote soil vegetation cover or improve soil health. The key requirement is that this must be new or materially different from what you did during the five-year baseline period. AgriProve will help you identify what change makes the most sense for your operation.
Free · No obligation · 24-hour turnaround
Find out what your land
could generate.
We'll build a free Horizon Snapshot for your property — a satellite-based report showing estimated ACCU potential over a minimum 25-year project term. Just send us your property boundaries and we'll turn it around within 24–48 hours.
Request your free Horizon Snapshot
or call us direct
Talk to the team
1300 GO SOIL (1300 467 645)
Unit 1, 601 Dean Street, Albury NSW · agriprove.io