Muckleford Farm Carbon Project

Muckleford Farm Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration project located in Muckleford, approximately 6 kilometers northwest of Castlemaine in Central Victoria. Registered in April 2015, the project originally covered a larger boundary but currently encompasses roughly 156 hectares following a variation in 2024. The surrounding Mount Alexander region is historically significant for its gold rush era and is currently dominated by agricultural land uses, specifically grazing for sheep and cattle, as well as lifestyle farming properties.

The project operates under the Sequestering Carbon in Soils in Grazing Systems (2014) methodology. This framework rewards landholders for increasing soil organic carbon levels through measured sampling over time. To achieve this, the project implements specific management actions such as altering grazing intensity (likely shifting to rotational grazing to allow pasture recovery), managing pasture composition, and applying soil amendments. These activities aim to increase biomass production and root mass, which in turn sequesters atmospheric carbon into the soil profile.

Environmentally, the Muckleford area sits within a temperate climate zone with a long-term average annual rainfall of approximately 560mm. The terrain typically features sedimentary rises and alluvial flats associated with Muckleford Creek. The soils in this region are predominantly texture-contrast types, such as Chromosols and Sodosols, which consist of loamy topsoils overlying heavier clay subsoils. These soil types often benefit significantly from increased organic matter, which improves structure and water-holding capacity.

Notably, this project is an early entrant in the Australian carbon market, registered well before the surge of soil carbon projects in the 2020s. It is managed by Corporate Carbon Solutions with Agriprove listed as a participant/agent, a partnership common in early soil carbon development to manage the complex baselining and sampling requirements. On October 2, 2024, the project underwent a variation to remove specific areas from its registered boundary, a standard compliance procedure often triggered when land is sold or determined to be ineligible for crediting.