McMahon Carbon Project 1

McMahon Carbon Project 1 is a soil carbon sequestration project located in the Tatiara district of South Australia, approximately 25 kilometers southeast of the regional center of Bordertown. Registered in August 2022, the project covers a project area of nearly 256 hectares. This region, often associated with the "Upper South East," is a productive agricultural zone known for mixed farming operations, primarily combining broadacre cropping (wheat, barley, canola) with livestock grazing (sheep and cattle).

The project operates under the 2021 Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models methodology. This framework allows landholders to earn Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) by implementing new management activities that increase the amount of carbon stored in the soil. To be eligible, the project must demonstrate a change in practice from the historical baseline; in this case, the specific activities involve the application of synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers to address material nutrient deficiencies and a conversion from intensive tillage to reduced or no-tillage practices. These changes are designed to improve soil structure and microbial health, thereby enhancing the soil's capacity to hold carbon.

Environmentally, the Bordertown region experiences a Mediterranean-style climate with winter-dominant rainfall, averaging approximately 450mm to 500mm annually. The soils in the Tatiara district are widely recognized for their agricultural value, often consisting of texture-contrast soils (sandy or loamy topsoil over heavy clay subsoil) and areas of cracking clay (gilgai). These heavy clay subsoils can be highly productive but require careful management to prevent compaction and maintain soil organic matter, challenges that the project's reduced tillage strategy directly addresses. The project is managed by Agriprove Solutions, a prominent developer known for partnering with farmers to handle the administrative and measurement complexities of the soil carbon scheme.