Keane Carbon Project

Keane Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration project located near Ariah Park, approximately 30km west of Temora in the Riverina region of New South Wales. Registered in September 2021, the project covers a project area of roughly 257 hectares. The surrounding Temora Shire is a significant agricultural hub known for mixed farming operations, particularly cereal cropping (wheat, canola) and sheep grazing, which aligns with the land management activities undertaken in this project.

The project operates under the Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models methodology (2021). This method allows landholders to earn Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) by adopting new farming practices that increase soil organic carbon levels. Specifically, the Keane Carbon Project has implemented a strategy involving the application of synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers to address nutrient deficiencies, the retention of crop stubble to build organic matter, and a conversion to reduced or no-tillage practices to minimize soil disturbance.

Environmentally, the region typically experiences a warm temperate climate with a mean annual rainfall of approximately 500mm to 550mm, which is often winter-dominant but can be variable. The local soils are predominantly Chromosols (often referred to as red-brown earths), which are well-suited to the cropping and grazing rotation typical of the Riverina but require careful management to maintain structure and fertility. Notably, the project varied its methodology in July 2024, upgrading from the 2018 measurement-based determination to the 2021 hybrid model, which utilizes both physical soil sampling and modelled estimates to calculate carbon abatement.