Simmons Carbon Project 1

Simmons Carbon Project 1 is a soil carbon sequestration project located in the locality of Shelbourne, approximately 35 kilometers south-west of the major regional city of Bendigo in Central Victoria. Registered in July 2024, the project covers a project area of roughly 214 hectares. The surrounding region of the Loddon Shire is traditionally utilized for mixed farming operations, including sheep grazing and cropping of cereals and canola, often on undulating plains that support diverse agricultural outputs.

The project operates under the Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models (2021) methodology. This method represents a "hybrid" approach to carbon farming; it combines physical soil core sampling with computer modelling to estimate carbon stocks, reducing the cost and labor intensity compared to purely measurement-based methods. To generate credits, the landholder must demonstrate a net increase in soil carbon over time, typically achieved by changing land management practices to boost plant growth and soil health.

Environmentally, the Shelbourne and Laanecoorie region experiences a temperate climate with a moderate average annual rainfall of approximately 580mm. The specific project activities, applying lime to remediate acid soils and introducing legumes, suggest the presence of acidic topsoils, a condition common in the region's older pasture lands and duplex soil types (such as Sodosols or Chromosols). By correcting soil pH with lime and addressing nutrient deficiencies with fertilizer, the project aims to optimize conditions for deep-rooted legumes. These plants naturally fix nitrogen and increase biomass, which in turn draws more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores it in the soil as organic matter.

The project is managed by Agriprove Solutions Co No.2 Pty Ltd, a special purpose vehicle of Agriprove, which is currently Australia’s largest developer of soil carbon projects. This structure allows Agriprove to aggregate projects and streamline the complex regulatory compliance required by the Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) scheme.