Bettergrow - Soil Carbon Project BG1

Bettergrow - Soil Carbon Project BG1 is a soil carbon sequestration project located at the Warragundi Aggregation near Goolma, approximately 45km northwest of Mudgee in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales. Registered in May 2023, the project originally targeted a baseline area of roughly 3,800 to 4,300 hectares within a larger 8,500-hectare mixed farming enterprise. A variation in March 2025 removed specific areas from the project boundary. The region is characterized by a mix of river flats and undulating grazing country, supporting land uses such as Angus cattle breeding, fodder production, and cropping.

The project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon methodology, which credits increases in soil organic carbon stocks measured through physical soil sampling and modelling. To achieve this, the proponent, Group Energy Pty Ltd (part of the Borg Group), implements land management activities including rotational grazing and the application of nutrient-rich compost. A key feature of this project is its circular economy approach; the compost applied is manufactured by the proponent's sister company, Bettergrow, using recovered organic waste and biosolids, thereby aiming to improve soil resilience and carbon levels simultaneously.

Environmental conditions in the Goolma region include a reliable average rainfall of approximately 650mm per annum. The landscape features diverse soil types, ranging from fertile alluvial soils along the Cudgegong River to lighter loams and clay soils on the open grazing slopes. The project is managed in collaboration with The Carbon Farming Foundation, which facilitated the baseline sampling of 195 soil cores to establish the initial carbon stocks.