Tom and Sarah Whinney at Chatsworth House.

A VICTORIAN grazing family has successfully generated 18,864 Australian Carbon Credit Units, from its soil carbon project following a technical review by CarbonLink ahead of the project’s first reporting period.

The result makes Chatsworth House the highest ACCU-earning soil carbon project in Victoria, marking an important achievement for both the Whinneys and the region.

Tom and Sarah Whinney run Chatsworth House, a beef, lamb and wool enterprise in Victoria’s Western District. The project recorded a 10,127 tonne increase in measured soil carbon (tC) over its first five-year reporting period. After project emissions were accounted for, this was equivalent to 25,152 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) sequestered into the soil.

The land management changes that informed the project included:

• Compost and other nutrients applied to address nutrient deficiencies
• Lime applied to address soil acidity
• Pastures renovated and re-seeded
• Legumes introduced into pasture and cropping systems
• Grazing and stocking practices adjusted, including longer pasture rest periods and paddock subdivision

The project was originally registered with another provider in 2021, before the project was transferred to CarbonLink in 2025 who undertook a technical review. CarbonLink says it found limitations in the baseline measurements.

CarbonLink developed a measurement and reporting approach that worked within the constraints of the established baseline while accurately representing the soil carbon change that could be measured across the project.

“The baseline stays with a soil carbon project throughout its life, so getting that initial measurement right is incredibly important,” CarbonLink project manager Santos Amadeo said.

“Our job from the point of coming onboard was to work with the baseline that was already established and apply our sampling, measurement and reporting expertise to determine the most robust pathway forward.”

Practical changes focused on healthier soils and pastures

Increasing soil organic carbon, improving soil fertility and building greater resilience were already important priorities for Sarah and Tom Whinney at Chatsworth House.

Establishing a soil carbon project provided an opportunity to capitalise on these existing goals, while creating an additional source of value from the regenerative management practices being implemented across the property.

As part of the project, compost and other nutrients were applied to address nutrient limitations. Pasture renovation, re-seeding, legumes and changes to grazing management also supported soil fertility, pasture growth and the long-term resilience of the grazing business.

The combination of practical management changes on farm and rigorous measurement enabled the project to demonstrate measurable soil carbon gains during its first reporting period.

Careful project design matters, particularly because a soil carbon project needs to reflect the conditions of an individual property.

“Chatsworth House shows how important it is to look closely at the property, the soil and the way the land is being managed. By improving the sampling approach and the calculations behind the project, we were able to help Tom and Sarah achieve a result that better reflected what was happening on the ground,” Santos Amadeo.

Measured results from the first reporting period

The project generated 18,864 ACCUs, equivalent to 2.07 ACCUs per hectare per year, across its first reporting period.

CarbonLink chief executive officer Chris McCosker said result reflected the value of combining the work farmers do on the land with high-integrity measurement and diligent project management.

“Tom and Sarah have put soil health and the long-term performance of their property at the centre of their management. Our role was to make sure the project was designed and managed in a way that properly recognised those efforts,” Mr McCosker said.

“Soil carbon projects are long-term undertakings. They need practical farm management, reliable measurement and ongoing attention to compliance requirements. Chatsworth House is a strong example of farmers and technical specialists working together to get a project back on track and performing.”

Source: CarbonLink