Hardgrave Carbon Project

The Hardgrave Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration project located near Northwood, approximately 12km southwest of Seymour in Central Victoria. Registered in August 2024, the project covers 215 hectares of agricultural land. The surrounding Goulburn Valley region is traditionally utilised for grazing (sheep and cattle) and cropping, supported by a temperate climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 640mm. The local soil profiles are typically characterized by clay loams or duplex soils (loam over clay), which are common in the undulating landscapes of the Central Victorian district.

This project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon methodology (Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models). Its primary activity involves the strategic application of nutrients, specifically synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers, to address material soil deficiencies. By correcting these deficiencies, the project aims to boost plant growth and root biomass, which in turn increases the deposition of organic carbon into the soil. As a project developed by Agriprove, it likely employs a "measure and model" approach, reducing the cost of verification by combining physical soil core sampling with predictive modelling to quantify carbon gains over time.