Messner Carbon Project 24

Messner Carbon Project 24 is a soil carbon project located approximately 30km east of Mukinbudin in the Eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. It was registered in August 2024 and covers an area of 251.59 hectares.

The project operates under the Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models (2021) methodology. This project type involves quantifying baseline soil carbon levels through rigorous laboratory testing and implementing eligible, new land management activities to build soil organic carbon over time. Standard requirements under this methodology include ongoing measurement rounds to prove carbon sequestration, and strictly accounting for any project-related greenhouse gas emissions, such as those generated by the application of synthetic fertilizers.

The broader Eastern Wheatbelt region is renowned for broadacre dryland cropping, primarily wheat, barley, and canola, as well as sheep grazing operations. The local environment is classified as semi-arid with a Mediterranean climate, meaning it experiences hot, dry summers and low, winter-dominant rainfall. The soil types in this region frequently consist of sandy loams and yellow sandplains, which are inherently prone to nutrient deficiencies.

To address this, the project's primary activity involves applying nutrients to the land in the form of a synthetic or non-synthetic fertiliser to address a material deficiency. By correcting the nutrient balance in the soil, the agricultural system can support robust plant biomass and root growth. This process directly increases the amount of atmospheric carbon drawn down by the plants and permanently stored as organic carbon within the soil matrix.

An interesting fact about this project is its scale within a wider aggregation strategy. Messner Carbon Project 24 is managed by AgriProve Solutions Co No.2 Pty Ltd and is one of at least 25 identically named, consecutively numbered "Messner Carbon Projects". This indicates a massive, landscape-level initiative by Agriprove to transition vast tracts of the Wheatbelt toward regenerative, carbon-yielding agricultural practices.