Newman Carbon Project 3

Newman Carbon Project 3 is a soil carbon sequestration project located approximately 8km east of the town of Loxton in the Riverland region of South Australia. Registered on July 22, 2024, the project covers a land area of roughly 227 hectares.

The project operates under the Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models methodology (2021). This method rewards landholders for increasing soil carbon levels through changes in land management. In this specific case, the primary activity involves applying synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers to address material nutrient deficiencies in the soil. By optimizing nutrient levels, the project aims to boost plant growth and root biomass, which in turn facilitates the sequestration of carbon into the soil profile.

The Loxton region is characterized by a semi-arid climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 270mm. The local landscape typically features undulating plains with sandy loam and calcareous earth soils, often overlying calcrete. Land use in the surrounding Riverland area is a mix of dryland cropping (cereals) and grazing, with intensive horticulture (citrus, almonds, and viticulture) present closer to the Murray River. The project is managed by AgriProve Solutions, a prominent developer in the Australian soil carbon market.