Howson Carbon Project 2

Howson Carbon Project 2 is a soil carbon project located in the Banana Shire of Central Queensland, approximately 25km southeast of the town of Banana. Registered in March 2022, the project covers 221.96 hectares and operates on "Tarramba," a 20,000-acre cattle grazing enterprise run by the Gunthorpe family.

The project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon Methodology (Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models). Soil carbon projects involve implementing new or materially different land management activities to increase carbon stored in agricultural soils. Proponents must conduct baseline physical soil sampling and then calculate net abatement by measuring subsequent changes in soil organic carbon content over time.

The Banana Shire is well-known for its extensive agricultural operations, primarily beef cattle grazing and broadacre cropping, alongside a strong mining sector. The area experiences a semi-arid to subtropical climate characterized by summer-dominant rainfall, averaging between 650mm and 730mm annually. Soils in the region are predominantly highly fertile cracking clays (Vertosols) and soils overlying basalt, which are highly capable of supporting quality pastures.

To build soil carbon, the Howson Carbon Project 2 relies on altering the stocking rate, duration, and intensity of grazing to promote vegetation cover. The landholders incorporate strict rotational grazing, proactively matching their stocking rates to the land's carrying capacity to allow pastures adequate recovery time. Additionally, the project focuses on re-establishing and rejuvenating pasture by seeding multi-species legumes and grasses to boost biomass and soil health.

Interestingly, this is one of 15 individual soil carbon projects managed by the Gunthorpe family across the wider Howson Carbon Project aggregation. Developed in partnership with AgriProve, the overall aggregation has successfully generated over 17,900 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). The property is also heavily focused on research, serving as a Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) Producer Demonstration Site for a six-year project exploring how soil carbon sequestration can help the red meat industry reach its carbon-neutral targets.