Rathscar Carbon Project

The Rathscar Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration initiative located in the locality of Rathscar, Victoria, approximately 19 kilometers west of the major regional town of Maryborough. Registered in October 2024, the project encompasses 1,282 hectares of agricultural land within the Pyrenees Shire and Central Goldfields region. This area is historically known as "typical wheat country," characterized by mixed farming operations that combine cereal cropping (wheat, barley, canola) with livestock grazing.

The project operates under the Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models (2021) methodology. This method requires the project proponent to establish a baseline of soil carbon stocks through physical sampling and then implement new management activities to increase those stocks over time. Carbon credits (ACCUs) are issued based on the measured or modelled increase in soil organic carbon. The specific activity registered for this project involves "applying nutrients to the land in the form of a synthetic or non-synthetic fertiliser to address a material deficiency," which aims to boost plant productivity and resultant biomass, a critical precursor to soil carbon formation.

Environmentally, the Rathscar region experiences a temperate climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 500mm to 550mm, featuring wet winters and dry, warm summers. The local soil profiles are often complex, likely consisting of Vertosols (cracking clays) or Sodosols (texture contrast soils), which are common in the Maryborough and Avoca districts. The project proponent, Loam Carbon Pty Ltd (also known as Loam Bio), is an Australian biotech company specializing in microbial seed coatings (inoculum) designed to build stable soil carbon. It is likely this project utilizes Loam's "CarbonBuilder" technology alongside the registered nutrient applications to maximize carbon sequestration rates in the soil.