Cheyenne Soil Carbon Project

Cheyenne Soil Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration project located near Walcha in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales. It was registered in November 2016 and covers an area of 757.66 ha.

Soil organic carbon sequestration projects using measurement and models involve estimating the amount of carbon stored in agricultural soils by altering land management practices. Under this methodology, proponents use a combination of direct soil sampling and modeling to measure increases in soil carbon over time.

The Walcha region is a prominent agricultural area known for extensive beef cattle and sheep farming operations. The region features a temperate, high-rainfall climate and highly fertile basalt and clay loam soils, making it prime grazing country.

This project increases carbon in the grazing system by altering the stocking rate, duration, and intensity of grazing to promote vegetation cover and improve soil health. In partnership with project agent CarbonLink, property manager Nick Blomfield implemented regenerative time-controlled grazing by significantly increasing the number of paddocks on the property from 88 to 140. To address material nutrient deficiencies, the farm replaced traditional superphosphate with chicken manure to improve the water-holding capacity, microbial stimulation, and aeration of the soil. They also focused on rejuvenating pastures through strategic seeding and pasture cropping.

Notably, Cheyenne was just the second soil carbon project in New South Wales to be issued Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). The improvements in soil structure and fertility have allowed the property to double its carrying capacity to an average of 500 head of cattle, substantially increasing its resilience against extreme weather events such as major droughts. Across its lifecycle, the project updated its methodology twice (in 2021 and 2022) to align with newer measurement and estimation models, and has generated a total of 28,859 ACCUs over two credit issuances.