Smith Carbon Project

Smith Carbon Project is a soil carbon project located at Belhaven Brook Farm in Glenarbon, approximately 60km east of Goondiwindi in the Darling Downs region of Queensland. It was registered in August 2020 and covers 505.48 hectares.

Soil carbon projects under the Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models methodology involve adopting new or altered agricultural land management practices to increase the amount of carbon stored in the soil. Standard requirements for this methodology involve conducting strict baseline measurements, followed by ongoing physical soil sampling and modelling to track carbon sequestration over time.

The Darling Downs area is highly regarded for its diverse agricultural land use, primarily supporting mixed farming, cropping, and grazing operations. The project area itself experiences an average annual rainfall of approximately 630mm and features light sandy soils.

This project was established by landholders Sophie and Adrian McInnerney to build climate resilience and improve the land's carrying capacity following severe drought conditions in 2019. The property currently operates a sheep farming enterprise running 800 Australian White ewes, producing direct-to-consumer lamb under the Macintyre Brook Lamb brand. By applying nutrients, planting multi-species pastures, and implementing planned rotational grazing through paddock subdivisions and new watering points, the project actively improves soil health and biodiversity. Notably, the operation incorporates satellite-derived fractional groundcover data to assist in on-farm decision-making. It was also one of the first projects to undergo AgriProve's Carbon Intensity Assessment, successfully proving that the farm sequesters more carbon than it emits. As a result of these restorative practices, the project generated 1,362 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) within its first three years.