Guilfoyle Carbon Project 7

Guilfoyle Carbon Project 7 is a soil carbon sequestration project located approximately 20km north-east of the rural township of Birchip in the Mallee region of Victoria. Registered on September 19, 2022, the project covers 190.64 hectares of agricultural land. The project is managed by Agriprove Solutions Pty Ltd, a prominent developer in the Australian soil carbon sector.

The project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon methodology (Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models). This method requires landholders to implement new management activities to build soil organic carbon stocks, which are then verified through physical soil sampling and modeling. Specific activities for this project include addressing nutrient deficiencies through fertilizer application, retaining stubble after harvest to protect topsoil, and converting to reduced or no-tillage practices to minimize soil disturbance.

The region surrounding Birchip is a key dryland cropping area, typically producing wheat, barley, canola, and pulses. The environment is classified as semi-arid with an average annual rainfall of approximately 350mm to 370mm. The local soil profile is characteristic of the Southern Mallee, consisting largely of calcareous sodosols, clay loams, and sandy loams. These soils can face challenges such as subsoil boron constraints, making the management practices implemented by this project, such as stubble retention, vital for maintaining soil health and moisture.

An interesting aspect of this project is its designation as "Project 7," which implies it is part of a larger aggregation of projects likely held by the same landholder or family entity (Guilfoyle) across different land parcels. Agriprove often aggregates such projects to streamline the baselining and auditing process for broadacre farmers.