Yarrandabbie Soil Carbon Project (Revoked)

Yarrandabbie Soil Carbon Project (Revoked) is an agricultural soil carbon project located approximately 30km north of the rural town of Barraba and 90km north-west of the major regional city of Tamworth in New South Wales. It was registered in September 2024 and spans an area of 4,457.77 hectares. The project falls within the North West Slopes region, an area traditionally known for sheep and beef cattle grazing alongside broadacre cropping.

Soil carbon projects operating under the 2021 Measurement and Models methodology involve storing carbon in agricultural soils by adopting new or materially altered land management practices. Proponents must physically measure the change in soil carbon stocks over time to generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs).

The regional climate is classified as temperate to semi-arid, experiencing an average annual rainfall of around 500-700mm. The local soil types in this area typically feature highly fertile black and red clays as well as basalt-derived profiles, though some sections require specific remediation.

To increase soil carbon, this project implemented several strategic management activities. These included altering the stocking rate, duration, and intensity of grazing to promote soil vegetation cover and improve overall soil health. Additionally, it involved applying synthetic or non-synthetic fertilisers to address material deficiencies, modifying landscape features to remediate land, and applying gypsum to manage sodic or magnesic soils.

An interesting note regarding this project is its administrative history. On April 10, 2025, the Yarrandabbie project was officially revoked under section 30 of the CFI Rule. However, the co-proponents, Atlas Agri Solutions Pty Ltd and McAg Farms Pty Ltd, subsequently registered a closely related replacement project on May 28, 2025, named the McAg Farms Soil Carbon Project (ERF202124). This new registration expanded the project footprint to 5,737.45 hectares across the exact same region. Co-proponent Atlas Agri Solutions is notable in the agricultural technology space, operating digital grazing management platforms such as MaiaGrazing and Atlas Carbon to assist livestock producers.