Koojan Downs Soil Project

The Koojan Downs Soil Project is a soil carbon sequestration project located approximately 25 kilometers southwest of Moora and 150 kilometers north of Perth in Western Australia's Wheatbelt region. Registered in March 2021, the project covers a significant area of 6,714 hectares. The proponent, Koojan Downs Pty Ltd, is a subsidiary of Harvest Road, the agri-food arm of Tattarang (Andrew Forrest’s private investment group). This project is integrally linked to the Koojan Downs Feeding Facility, which is the largest cattle feedlot in Western Australia, capable of holding tens of thousands of head of cattle.

The project operates under the Measurement of Soil Carbon Sequestration in Agricultural Systems methodology. This method awards carbon credits for increases in soil organic carbon achieved through changes in land management. In this specific case, the project activities focus on applying nutrients to the land to address material deficiencies. Given the operational context, this likely involves utilizing composted manure and waste from the adjacent feedlot as a non-synthetic fertilizer on the surrounding backgrounding pastures and cropping land. This "closed-loop" approach aims to improve soil health and carbon levels in the sandy, nutrient-poor soils typical of the region, while supporting the grazing operations required to supply the feedlot.

The Moora region features a Mediterranean climate characterized by hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters, with an average annual rainfall of approximately 450-500mm. The local landscape is dominated by broadacre cropping and livestock grazing. Soils in this area often range from sandy loams to gravelly types, which generally have low natural fertility and can benefit significantly from organic amendments like compost. The project represents a high-profile example of integrating intensive animal production with regenerative soil practices to lower the carbon footprint of beef production.