Calm Your Farm, Ethical Lamb - Soil Carbon Project

Calm Your Farm, Ethical Lamb - Soil Carbon Project is a soil carbon project located near Berrybank in the Golden Plains Shire of Victoria, approximately 80km west of Geelong. It was registered in February 2024 and covers 685.80 ha.

The Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models (2021) methodology allows landholders to earn Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) by increasing soil organic carbon levels compared to a historical baseline. Projects under this method require direct soil sampling and laboratory analysis, or approved modelling, to measure the carbon increase over time.

The Golden Plains and Western District region is well known for broadacre cropping and sheep and cattle grazing operations. The area is considered to have a temperate climate with moderate rainfall, and the soils are generally fertile, basalt-derived volcanic clays and loams.

This project was set up to increase carbon in the soil within the agricultural system by applying nutrients to the land in the form of a synthetic or non-synthetic fertiliser. This activity addresses material soil deficiencies, optimizing soil nutrition to increase plant biomass and root growth, which subsequently drives higher rates of carbon sequestration into the soil profile.

Interestingly, the project proponent is Loam Carbon Pty Ltd, a prominent Australian ag-tech developer known for utilizing innovative microbial seed coating technologies (inoculum) to enhance carbon build-up in agricultural soils. Additionally, "Calm Your Farm Ethical Lamb" operates as a boutique, farm-to-table meat brand that directly supplies butchered lamb to the public. Official project variations were recorded in June 2024 and June 2026, which saw some specific parcels of land removed from the original project area.