Simmons Carbon Project 3

Simmons Carbon Project 3 is a soil carbon sequestration project located in the locality of Shelbourne, approximately 20 kilometers west of the regional city of Bendigo, Victoria. Registered in July 2024, the project covers roughly 125 hectares of agricultural land. The surrounding Loddon and Greater Bendigo region is characterized by mixed farming operations, primarily consisting of dryland cropping (cereals and canola) and sheep grazing for wool and meat production.

The project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon methodology (Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models). This framework allows landholders to earn Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) by implementing new or materially different management activities that increase soil carbon stocks. Standard requirements for this method include establishing a soil carbon baseline through physical sampling and conducting subsequent measurement and modelling rounds to quantify carbon gains over a 25-year crediting period.

Environmentally, the Shelbourne area typically experiences a temperate climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 500mm to 550mm. The region's soils are often texture-contrast types, such as Chromosols or Sodosols, which feature loamy topsoils overlying clay subsoils. These soils can be naturally acidic or become acidified through long-term agriculture, a condition this project explicitly aims to address. The project activities focus on remediation and biomass improvement by applying lime to correct soil acidity, using synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers to fix nutrient deficiencies, and introducing legume species into cropping or pasture systems to naturally fix nitrogen and build soil organic matter.

An interesting aspect of this project is its designation as "Simmons Carbon Project 3," which suggests it is part of a larger aggregation or a multi-stage rollout by the landholder, the Simmons family, in partnership with the proponent, Agriprove. Agriprove is a prominent developer in the sector, known for managing large portfolios of soil carbon projects using a digital platform to streamline the complex measurement and reporting requirements.