McEwan Carbon Project 4

McEwan Carbon Project 4 is a soil organic carbon project located in the Southern Mallee region, approximately 20km northwest of Pinnaroo in South Australia. It was registered in April 2022 and covers 623.01 ha.

The Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models methodology involves undertaking new or materially different eligible agricultural management practices to increase carbon stored in the soil. Standard requirements include developing a land management strategy, conducting strict baseline and subsequent physical soil sampling, and using laboratory analysis to measure carbon stock changes over time.

The Southern Mallee region's land use is heavily dominated by dryland broadacre cropping, such as cereals, pulses, and canola, alongside sheep and livestock grazing. The environment features a cool semi-arid climate with variable, winter-dominant rainfall typically averaging around 340-400mm annually. Soils in the area are predominantly sandy or sandy loams characteristic of the flat and undulating Mallee plains.

This project increases carbon in the soil system by applying nutrients in the form of a synthetic or non-synthetic fertiliser to address material soil deficiencies. The project also involves converting from intensive tillage to reduced or no-tillage practices, and retaining stubble after a crop is harvested. McEwan Carbon Project 4 is part of a larger aggregation of several identically structured "McEwan" soil carbon projects developed and managed by Agriprove Solutions Pty Ltd in the immediate area.