Rankin Carbon Project 3

Rankin Carbon Project 3 is a soil carbon sequestration project located in the Tatiara District of South Australia, approximately 13 kilometers east of the major regional service centre of Bordertown and near the smaller town of Wolseley. Registered in December 2022, the project covers a land area of 224 hectares. The project site is situated just west of the Victorian border, in a region widely recognized for its productive agricultural output.

The Tatiara district is a "mixed farming" zone, supporting both dryland cropping (cereals, oilseeds, and pulses) and livestock grazing (sheep and cattle). The environmental conditions in this area typically feature a winter-dominant rainfall pattern with an annual average between 450mm and 500mm. The soils are characteristic of the Upper South East of South Australia, often consisting of sandy loams over clay subsoils (duplex soils) or shallow soils over calcrete and limestone. These sandy soils can be prone to acidity and water repellence, which are often managed through the precise application of nutrients and soil amendments, activities central to this carbon project.

The project operates under the Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models Methodology Determination 2021. This high-integrity method involves chemically sampling the soil to establish a carbon baseline, followed by the implementation of specific land management activities designed to increase soil organic carbon levels over time. For Rankin Carbon Project 3, these activities include applying synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers to address nutrient deficiencies, converting to reduced or no-tillage practices to minimize soil disturbance, retaining crop stubble, and altering grazing intensity to improve vegetation cover. The project is managed by Agriprove Solutions, a leading developer in the Australian soil carbon sector, and appears to be part of a larger portfolio for the landholder, as evidenced by the existence of a "Rankin Carbon Project 4" in the same district.