Landholders Geoff Fox and Gorm Kirsch have achieved 5,585 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) through their soil carbon project near Armidale, NSW.
Their success demonstrates how producer-led management changes, supported by AgriProve’s systems and soil carbon expertise, can generate productivity and carbon outcomes.
The 300-hectare project is among the first in the New England region to receive credits under the updated 2021 method.
17 June 2025: The Watson Carbon Project, located just outside Armidale in northern New South Wales, has achieved a significant milestone with the issuance of 5,585 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) under the ACCU Scheme.
Led by landholder Geoff Fox and lessee Mitch Lee, the project shows how practical changes on-farm — combined with data-backed support — can unlock new income streams while building better soils, better farms, and better resilience.
When Geoff purchased the 300-hectare property in 2007, it was rundown with poor productivity. A former agricultural economist and World Bank director, he knew the numbers didn’t add up — especially after prolonged droughts and years of high input costs.
Working with Mitch, the pair implemented a more adaptive grazing system. Both undertook formal upskilling in grazing management and now use digital tools to guide pasture planning and rest periods. Together, they removed synthetic fertiliser, enhanced groundcover, and invested in solar-powered water systems, additional trough infrastructure, and over 120 flexible grazing subdivisions.
“I was spending a ton of money just feeding our cattle over winter and early spring. With these management changes we shifted the whole total cost curve of our business to focus on increased pasture/livestock quantity and quality and thereby achieve much better financial returns and farm sustainability” Geoff said.
“Mitch dragged me into a different way of managing — and I’m glad he did. We’ve completely changed how this property functions. People around here thought I was crazy — but now they look at my pastures and cattle condition and say, ‘Wow’.”
“I see carbon sequestration as a co-benefit to profit optimisation. If you’re doing the right thing by your farm — improving soil, pasture and management — then carbon build-up will follow.”
With AgriProve’s Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) model enabling early detection of soil carbon increases, the Watson Carbon Project was issued credits well before the five-year reporting window typically required by other developers.
Unlike other models, AgriProve does not wait for the full reporting period to elapse. If the data indicates a measurable increase in soil carbon, AgriProve funds and deploys its team to complete audits and sampling — with the costs covered under its success-fee model. This ensures landholders are rewarded sooner for the improvements they’re making.
AgriProve CEO Stuart Upton said:
“Geoff and Mitch made the call to rethink how their property was managed — and it’s paid off. Their commitment to better grazing, better infrastructure and better monitoring has delivered real results. Improving yields, reducing input requirements and creating additional farmgate revenue is the goal. At AgriProve, we’re proud to help secure the future of Australian agriculture by providing the systems and support that help make these outcomes possible. This is what better soils, better farms and better profits looks like in action.”
Media contact: Daniel Wortmann 0448 187 650 [email protected]