AACo's Beef Cattle Herd Management Carbon Project

AACo's Beef Cattle Herd Management Carbon Project is an agricultural project operating across the Australian Agricultural Company's (AACo) property portfolio in the Northern Territory and Queensland. While specific coordinates and total project area are unavailable due to the herd-wide nature of the project, AACo's operations cover vast tracts of Northern Australia's rangelands, encompassing postcodes near major regional centres such as Mount Isa in Queensland and Katherine in the Northern Territory. It was registered in June 2019.

Beef Cattle Herd Management projects involve adopting practices to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions intensity of beef production. Standard requirements stipulate that cattle must primarily feed through grazing or forage, herds must demonstrate a history of positive liveweight gain, and the proponent must conduct at least one new management activity, such as improving herd genetics or installing new fences, each year.

The Northern Australian rangelands are predominantly dedicated to extensive cattle grazing. The environment across this massive geographic spread varies widely, transitioning from semi-arid inland zones to high-rainfall tropical savannas, with soils typically featuring heavy cracking clays (such as those on the Mitchell grass downs) and red sandy loams.

This project aims to reduce cattle emissions per kilogram of liveweight produced by changing livestock class ratios, increasing the weight-to-age ratio, reducing the average herd age, and removing unproductive breeding animals. As Australia's largest integrated beef producer, AACo integrates this project into its broader climate action strategy, supporting its premium Wagyu beef operations. Beyond herd management, the company is actively expanding its climate initiatives by exploring emerging technologies like Asparagopsis seaweed feed additives for further methane reduction.