Trophy Carbon Project

Trophy Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration initiative located approximately 15km north-west of Kaniva in the West Wimmera region of Victoria, near the South Australian border. Registered in July 2018, the project currently covers 116 hectares of agricultural land. The region is predominantly used for mixed farming, combining broadacre cropping (cereals and oilseeds) with sheep and cattle grazing.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models) Methodology Determination 2021. This methodology rewards landholders for increasing soil organic carbon levels through changes in land management. Specific activities for this project include applying synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers to address nutrient deficiencies, re-establishing pastures through seeding or pasture cropping, and altering grazing intensity to improve soil vegetation cover. The use of the 2021 methodology allows the project to utilize approved soil carbon models alongside physical sampling to estimate sequestration, potentially reducing the cost of measurement over time.

Environmentally, the West Wimmera region is characterized by a semi-arid to Mediterranean climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 400mm to 500mm. The landscape in this border region often features a "ridge and swale" system, where soils vary from sandy loams on rises to heavier, self-mulching grey cracking clays (Vertosols) in the lower-lying areas. These clay soils are naturally fertile but can be susceptible to sodicity, making soil health improvements, such as those targeted by this project, vital for sustained productivity.

A notable aspect of the Trophy Carbon Project is its administrative evolution. In late 2025, the proponent formally changed from Corporate Carbon Solutions to Agriprove Solutions Pty Ltd. Agriprove is a specialized arm of the same group, focusing specifically on soil carbon projects and digital soil measurement. Additionally, the project transferred from the older 2014 soil method to the more flexible 2021 method, and the project area was varied in November 2024, likely refining the boundary to exclude non-productive zones or infrastructure.