Okeview Carbon Project

Okeview Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration project located in the Riverina region of New South Wales, specifically near the locality of Oura, approximately 25km east of the major regional city of Wagga Wagga. Registered in April 2024, the project covers a substantial area of 7,644 hectares. The surrounding region is a highly productive agricultural zone known as the South West Slopes, primarily utilised for mixed farming operations including broadacre cropping (wheat and canola) and livestock grazing.

The project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon methodology, which incentivises landholders to increase soil organic carbon levels through improved management practices. In this instance, the proponent, Okeview Farm Operations, is altering the stocking rate, duration, and intensity of grazing to improve soil health and vegetation cover. By measuring soil carbon levels against a baseline over time, the project generates credits for the additional carbon sequestered in the ground.

Environmentally, the Oura and Nangus districts experience a temperate climate with hot summers and cool, moist winters, typically receiving moderate annual rainfall in the range of 550mm to 650mm. The landscape is characterised by rolling hills and river flats along the Murrumbidgee River. The soils in this region are predominantly red-brown earths and Chromosols (texture-contrast soils with loam topsoil over clay subsoil), which are naturally fertile but benefit significantly from management practices that retain ground cover to prevent erosion.

A notable aspect of this project is its connection to the proponent's broader vertically integrated business strategy. Okeview Pastoral has publicly pursued plans to establish a "carbon neutral" beef supply chain, which includes proposals for an on-farm processing facility (abattoir) to reduce transport emissions and maintain strict control over their product's environmental footprint. This soil carbon project serves as a foundational pillar for those sustainability claims. In November 2024, a variation was filed to remove certain areas from the project map, likely refining the project boundary to exclude non-compliant or infrastructure-heavy zones.