Swartz Carbon Project 2

Swartz Carbon Project 2 is a soil carbon project located at Calliweera Station in Morinish, approximately 55km northwest of Rockhampton in Queensland. It was registered in March 2022 and covers 404.57ha.

Soil carbon projects operating under the Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models methodology involve implementing new agricultural management practices to increase the amount of carbon stored in the earth. Standard requirements include establishing a baseline carbon level through direct soil sampling and periodically re-measuring or modeling the increase over time to calculate net sequestration, while rigorously accounting for emissions from livestock or fertilisers.

The Rockhampton region is famously known as the beef capital of Australia, with regional land use predominantly focused on cattle grazing and broadacre agriculture. The environment experiences a subtropical climate with highly variable, summer-dominant rainfall. The region's soils typically feature heavy cracking clays (often referred to as "black soils") along with alluvial loams.

This project aims to increase soil carbon by altering the stocking rate, duration, and intensity of grazing to promote soil vegetation cover and improve overall soil health. Additional activities include applying nutrients via synthetic or non-synthetic fertilisers to address material soil deficiencies, and re-establishing or rejuvenating pasture by seeding or pasture cropping. On September 2, 2025, the project varied its method from the older 2018 measurement-only determination to the newer 2021 measurement and models determination.

Interestingly, Swartz Carbon Project 2 is part of a larger aggregated cluster of 11 individual soil carbon projects managed by the Warnock family across 2,109ha. The Warnock family has managed the property for over five generations since 1879. The broader initiative is supported by a $792,000, 15-year partnership between the Queensland Government and the project developer, AgriProve. This partnership combines soil sequestration with environmental planting to improve habitat for over 30 threatened species and aid water retention benefiting the Great Barrier Reef. Through infrastructure investments, including 75 kilometres of electric fencing and 56 new watering points, the shift from set stocking to rotational grazing has allowed the property to significantly improve soil health while doubling its cattle carrying capacity.