Cotton Carbon Project 2

Cotton Carbon Project 2 is a soil carbon sequestration project located approximately 20km southeast of the major regional centre of Armidale, in the New England Tablelands of New South Wales. Registered in October 2022, the project covers 281.65 hectares of agricultural land. The project is situated near the locality of Enmore, an area defined by its rolling high-country terrain and temperate climate.

The project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon (Measurement and Models) methodology. This framework allows landholders to earn Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) by sequestering carbon in agricultural soils. The process requires establishing a baseline of soil carbon through physical core sampling, followed by the implementation of new land management activities designed to increase soil organic matter. For this specific project, the registered activities include applying synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers to address nutrient deficiencies, rejuvenating pastures through seeding, and altering grazing intensity or duration to improve soil health and vegetation cover.

Environmentally, the Armidale region is characterized by a cool temperate climate with distinct winters and summer-dominant rainfall, averaging around 750mm to 800mm annually. The region is predominantly used for grazing sheep and cattle. The soils in this specific area, lying southeast of the city, are likely derived from "trap rock" (metasediments) or granite, which typically form sandy loams or clay-loams, distinct from the heavy basalt soils found further north.

It is worth noting that despite the project name "Cotton," the location is not suitable for commercial cotton cropping, which requires the warmer climates found in the western plains of NSW. The name likely refers to the landholder or property name rather than the crop type. The project is managed by Agriprove, a prominent service provider specializing in soil carbon projects across Australia.