Red Hill Carbon Farming Project

The Red Hill Carbon Farming Project is a soil carbon sequestration project located approximately 15km northwest of Yeoval and 35km east of Peak Hill in the Central West region of New South Wales. Registered in August 2023, the project covers a substantial area of 2,177 hectares. The region acts as a transition zone between the Central West Slopes and the Western Plains, primarily supporting mixed farming operations such as sheep and cattle grazing, alongside dryland cropping.

This project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon methodology (Measurement and Models), which rewards landholders for increasing soil organic carbon stocks. Specifically, this project aims to boost soil carbon by applying synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers to address material nutrient deficiencies in the soil. By correcting these deficiencies, the project seeks to increase plant biomass production, which in turn draws more carbon from the atmosphere and stores it in the soil system.

The local environment is characterized by a temperate to semi-arid climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 550mm to 650mm, slightly higher than the plains to the west. The terrain in this belt typically features Red Chromosols or Red Kandosols, well-drained, reddish soils that align with the "Red Hill" property name. These soil types are generally responsive to nutrient management, making them suitable candidates for carbon farming activities aimed at remediation and productivity improvement.