Smith Carbon Project at Belhaven Brook Farm along Macintyre Brook in the Darling Downs region of QLD, has generated 1,362 ACCUs under the ERF in three years on 500 hectares with 630mm annual average rainfall.
It is also the third project to go through AgriProve’s Carbon Intensity Assessment which shows landholders Sophie and Adrian McInnerney have successfully sequestered more carbon than they emitted for each year of their carbon farming project, proving they are beyond net-zero carbon intensity.
AgriProve has 38 projects with measured increase in soil carbon also in line for ACCUs under the new methodology.
Additional issuance comes after McLachlan Carbon Project at Dungog in NSW generated 2,110 ACCUs in two years on 73.6 hectares.
3 October 2023: The Smith Carbon Project in Glenarbon QLD has successfully generated 1,362 Australian carbon credit units (ACCUs) under the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) in a three year partnership with Australia’s leading carbon soiltech developer, AgriProve.
The Smith Carbon Project has also successfully undergone AgriProve’s Carbon Intensity Assessment program. This shows landholders Sophie and Adrian McInnerney are successfully sequestering more carbon than they are emitting each year for their carbon farming project, proving they are beyond net-zero carbon intensity.
AgriProve’s world leading soil sampling analysis and collection method has allowed for the generation of ACCUs in three years with light sandy soils. Since commencing in August 2020, the project has improved soil health and productivity by optimising plant growth through rotational grazing management techniques, with monitoring provided by utilising satellite derived fractional groundcover data as a decision support tool.
Bellhaven Brook Farm includes 800 Australian White ewes, whose progeny go into direct-to-consumer lamb boxes distributed primarily throughout the Sunshine Coast through the Macintyre Brook Lamb business. With farm management that incorporates multi-species pastures and rotational grazing, the project is delivering whole of farm benefits through soil carbon sequestration’s ability to build additional layers of profitability into the business.
Having purchased the land in mid-2019 during drought conditions, building climate resilience into their land was a key factor in the McInnerney’s decision to initiate a soil carbon farming project. Additional watering points and fencing were installed to support the subdivision of their land into smaller paddocks and to build water resilience through maintaining groundcover.
Multi-species pasture and rotational grazing have increased the diversity of microbial, insect and bird life on the property, and enabled the landholders to improve carrying capacity. Previously poor soil health has been improved by multi-species crops, where plants are now feeding off each other and don’t require as many inputs as they did before the changes in land management strategy.
AgriProve’s innovative approach to monitoring soil carbon projects uses satellite data to highlight changes in soil carbon sequestration rates. A proprietary Soil Organic Carbon model was used to identify a likely increase in soil carbon which brought forward the date of subsequent sampling, fast-tracking ACCU issuance from five years to a more attractive two. AgriProve currently has more than 38 measured project increases in soil carbon and continues to work closely with partnering producers and the Clean Energy Regulator to streamline the process.
AgriProve is the fastest growing carbon soiltech developer in Australia, with an award-winning, data-driven approach already supporting over 550 projects totalling more than 160,000 hectares. AgriProve’s commercial model of soil carbon farming provides built-in regulatory integrity and a streamlined registration process for partnering farmers while removing carbon project risk.
Private sector operators like AgriProve are boosting investment in healthy soils and the technological innovation required for the scaling and evolution of regenerative agriculture required to achieve the Australian federal government’s emission targets for 2030 and beyond.
Quotes attributable to AgriProve Managing Director Matthew Warnken
"The Smith Carbon Project serves as another compelling example of the effectiveness of AgriProve’s model in empowering our partnering farmers to harness the benefits of operating a soil carbon project. It is also rewarding to see Adrian and Sophie McInnerney receiving well-deserved recognition for their land stewardship and the successful execution of their soil carbon project through the issuance of ACCUs. Their project is also the third project to undergo our Carbon Intensity Assessment, demonstrating that their soil carbon operation is below net-zero carbon intensity."
"The issuance of ACCUs to the Smith Carbon Project is another proof point that showcases the potential of soil carbon projects throughout different Australian landscapes.”
"We currently have 38 projects with measurable increases in soil organic carbon, all progressing through the ACCU issuance process. We eagerly anticipate rewarding other partnering landholders for their dedication to their soil carbon projects."
"This project is another example of best-in-class land management practices. It is a great illustration of how AgriProve partners with farmers to take tangible steps toward addressing climate change, while simultaneously enhancing the climate resilience and productivity of their land."
Quotes attributable to Smith Carbon Project landholder Sophie McInnerney
“We’re incredibly excited by this result - having sequestered this amount of carbon in such a short amount of time by tweaking our land management strategies. We’re not a farm with the kind of heavy black self mulching soil that’s common around the Goondiwindi region. Belhaven Brook has light sandy soils which can make it difficult to sequester carbon – so we’re excited to know we’ve successfully done it here.”
“We see starting a soil carbon project as a way of accelerating our positive impact and enhancing our regenerative practices. By planting multispecies crops we gain more opportunities to sequester carbon, and rotational grazing gives our pastures time to rest and recover. Our climate is becoming harsher and we don’t know if we’ll get spring rainfalls, so maintaining groundcover is important and puts us in a good position to bounce back when it does rain.”
“AgriProve’s satellite data is a great tool we use regularly because of the perspective we gain - seeing your land from the ground is very different to seeing it from the sky. Satellite data has painted a completely different picture of the health of our land for us, enabling us to make more informed, data driven decisions on our property.”
“Farmers are part of the climate solution, and most farmers I know are doing the right thing by their country. We’re proud to be leading the way in partnership with AgriProve who’ve made the whole process simple and are always available to answer questions. If you’ve got a genuine interest in caring for your land and the wider environment then look into starting a soil carbon project. The additional revenue stream it provides allows you to further advance your activities to do right for your land.”
Media contact: LJ Loch 0488 038 555 [email protected]
For more information on Macintyre Brook Lamb
Web: https://macintyrebrooklamb.com.au