Morrison Carbon Project 3

Morrison Carbon Project 3 is a soil carbon sequestration project located approximately 5km northwest of the town of Goomalling in the Western Australian Wheatbelt. Registered in April 2022, the project covers a project area of 131.34 hectares. It is part of a larger farming aggregation operated by the Clarke family, who are notable early adopters of soil carbon farming in the state.

The project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon methodology, which credits landholders for measurable increases in Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) stocks. This method requires a rigorous regime of baseline soil sampling to a depth of at least 30cm, followed by the implementation of new management activities designed to sequester carbon. These activities often include altering stocking densities, pasture rejuvenation, and the use of multi-species cropping to improve root mass and soil health.

The Goomalling region is a classic Mediterranean agricultural zone, characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters with an average annual rainfall of approximately 365mm. The landscape is dominated by mixed farming, specifically broadacre cropping (wheat, barley, lupins) and sheep grazing. Soils in this specific locality are typically sandy loams or duplex soils (sand over clay), which were historically prone to degradation but are highly responsive to the regenerative no-till and cover-cropping practices employed by this project's proponents.

An interesting note regarding this project is its association with the broader "Morrison" farm aggregation. The initial Morrison Carbon Project (managed by the same landholder and proponent) was reported as the first soil carbon project in Western Australia to successfully be issued Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), marking a significant milestone for the adoption of the method in the state's dryland farming systems.