O'Malley Carbon Project

O'Malley Carbon Project is a soil carbon project located near Hadspen, approximately 15km southwest of Launceston in northern Tasmania. It was registered in October 2020 and covers 969.31 ha.

The project operates under the Measurement of Soil Carbon Sequestration in Agricultural Systems 2018 methodology. Soil carbon projects require landholders to establish a baseline of existing soil carbon through rigorous soil sampling, implement at least one new eligible land management activity, and subsequently remeasure the soils to prove a quantifiable increase in stored organic carbon.

The Meander Valley and Northern Midlands region is a highly productive agricultural area, best known for livestock grazing, mixed farming, and cropping. The region experiences a cool temperate climate with moderate, reliable rainfall. Soils in this area generally consist of rich clay loams and ferrosols (red basalt soils) that respond well to regenerative agricultural techniques.

This project increases carbon in the soil by altering the stocking rate, duration, or intensity of livestock grazing. By modifying grazing patterns, such as introducing rotational cell grazing, pastures are given adequate time to recover, which promotes deeper root growth and enhances the soil's biological capacity to draw down atmospheric carbon into the agricultural system.

Developed by Agriprove, a major Australian soil carbon developer, the O'Malley Carbon Project is part of a pioneering wave of early soil carbon initiatives established in the region around 2020. By adopting these practices, the project serves as a local proof point for how regenerative grazing can improve drought resilience, increase soil health, and provide alternative revenue streams for Tasmanian farmers.