The Goodies Soil Carbon Project

The Goodies Soil Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration project located across a dispersed aggregation of agricultural properties in the southern regions of Western Australia. Registered in May 2025, the project covers a substantial area of approximately 6,402 hectares. The project area appears to span distinct agricultural zones, with coordinates indicating landholdings near Capel/Donnybrook in the high-rainfall South West, Williams in the Great Southern, and extending east towards Pingrup in the Wheatbelt. The project is managed by Intuit Earth Pty Ltd, which operates commercially as Carbon Sync, a developer known for aggregating soil carbon projects in Western Australia.

The project operates under the Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models methodology (2021). This method allows landholders to earn Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) by increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) levels through changes in land management. Unlike tree planting, this method focuses on the soil itself, requiring a baseline measurement of carbon stocks followed by the implementation of "eligible management activities." Credits are issued based on the measured or modeled increase in soil carbon over time, accounting for any emissions generated by the agricultural activities.

Given the project's geographic spread, the environmental conditions vary significantly. The western-most lots near Capel typically experience high rainfall and feature loamy or gravelly soils suitable for intensive grazing and dairy. Moving inland to Williams and Pingrup, the climate transitions to a semi-arid Mediterranean pattern with lower rainfall, where land use is dominated by broadacre cropping (wheat, barley, canola) and sheep grazing on duplex sandy-clay or gravel soils.

The project's namesake, "The Goodies," likely refers to Goodies Farm, a family-owned operation based in Kendenup (Shire of Plantagenet) run by Dale and Pen Goodwin. Goodies Farm is well-regarded for its transition to biological and regenerative farming practices, producing chemical-residue-free crops and beef. The project activities listed, such as altering stocking rates, pasture cropping (seeding crops into perennial pastures), and modifying landscape features, align closely with the regenerative principles advocated by Carbon Sync and the Goodwin family to build soil health and biodiversity.