'Stewart Carbon Project (Revoked)

Stewart Carbon Project (Revoked) was an agricultural soil carbon project located approximately 25km east of Albury-Wodonga, near Lake Hume in the Towong Shire of Victoria. It was registered in November 2020 and covered 115.38 hectares.

Operating under the 2018 Measurement of Soil Carbon Sequestration in Agricultural Systems methodology, the project aimed to increase the amount of carbon stored in the soil through improved agricultural practices. To earn carbon credits under this method, proponents must establish a baseline for their soil carbon and continually measure actual increases over a 25-year crediting period via rigorous soil sampling. In this specific project, the registered management activity involved altering the stocking rate, duration, or intensity of grazing.

The Towong Shire and surrounding Upper Murray region are predominantly characterized by agricultural land use, particularly beef and dairy cattle grazing on river flats and undulating slopes, along with active softwood forestry operations. The area experiences a temperate climate with relatively high rainfall (averaging over 700mm annually) and features friable loams, clays, and acidic texture-contrast soils derived from the nearby ranges. These environmental factors are typically very favourable for pasture growth and subsequent soil carbon storage.

Interestingly, while the project was facilitated by major soil carbon developer Agriprove Solutions Pty Ltd, it was officially revoked on 22 July 2026 under Section 30 of the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Rule. Revocations under this section typically occur upon the voluntary request of the project proponent. Given the relatively small project area of 115.38 hectares, the high costs of physical soil core sampling and laboratory testing required under the measurement methodology may have outweighed the potential ACCU revenue, a common challenge that leads to the voluntary revocation of smaller soil carbon projects.