Goodman Soil Carbon Project

The Goodman Soil Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration project located in the Macleay Valley hinterland, approximately 45km northwest of Kempsey in New South Wales. Registered in July 2023, the project covers nearly 436 hectares of agricultural land within the Kempsey Shire Council area. The region is traditionally dominated by beef cattle grazing and dairy farming, utilizing the fertile pockets found along the Macleay River catchment.

Operating under the 2021 Soil Carbon methodology (Measurement and Models), the project aims to sequester carbon in agricultural soils by altering land management practices. Specifically, this project involves applying synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers to address material soil deficiencies. This "new" activity is designed to boost pasture productivity and root mass, thereby increasing the rate at which carbon is stored in the soil profile. The method requires rigorous baseline soil sampling to establish starting carbon levels, followed by periodic re-sampling and modelling to quantify the increases over time (the crediting period is 25 years).

The environment in the Kempsey Shire is characterized by a humid subtropical climate with relatively high rainfall, averaging over 1,000mm annually, which is conducive to rapid pasture growth when soil nutrients are balanced. The soils in the broader Macleay region range from fertile alluvial loams in the river valleys to texture-contrast podzolic soils on the ridges, which often require amendments like lime or phosphorus to reach full productive potential. The project is facilitated by Australian Soil Management Pty Ltd, a service provider that specializes in soil carbon projects.