Morrison Carbon Project 5

Morrison Carbon Project 5 is a soil carbon project located in the Shire of Goomalling, approximately 130km northeast of Perth in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. It was registered in April 2022 and covers 114.61 hectares.

This project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models) Methodology Determination 2021. This methodology allows proponents to earn Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) by implementing new land management activities that lead to a measured increase in soil organic carbon stocks. For this project, activities include altering the stocking rate, duration, or intensity of livestock grazing, as well as re-establishing or rejuvenating pasture by seeding or pasture cropping.

The Goomalling area is historically known for dryland agriculture, specifically mixed farming operations involving broadacre cropping (such as wheat, barley, and lupins) and sheep grazing. The region experiences a semi-arid, warm Mediterranean climate with winter-dominant rainfall averaging around 360mm annually. The local soils are typical of the Yilgarn Craton geology, generally consisting of yellow deep aeolian sands, loamy sands, and sandy gravels.

Managed by landholder Ian Clarke in partnership with AgriProve Solutions, the broader Morrison Carbon Project enterprise is notable for being the first soil carbon project in Western Australia to be issued ACCUs. By incorporating regenerative agriculture techniques like no-till farming, multispecies companion pastures, and biological inputs, the project improves soil function, water retention, and on-farm biodiversity. Project 5 itself has already been issued 1,484 ACCUs by the Clean Energy Regulator.