At Wilandra, in the heart of Badgingarra, something deeply grounded is taking shape — not just a carbon project, but a long-view restoration of function. This is not about doing more with less. It’s about designing for resilience, recognising what the land already knows, and restoring the loops that hold it all together.

For Peter Wilkinson and his family, stewardship isn’t a buzzword. It’s how they farm. Wilandra is a mixed system — cropping, grazing, and care — anchored by a highly successful Merino stud and now woven into a strategy that doesn’t extract from the land, but invests in its long-term capacity to thrive.

Through a layered combination of biological nutrient application, contouring for water retention, and strategic cover cropping, the Wilandra Soil Carbon Project responds directly to the structural challenges of dryland farming: erratic rainfall, nutrient-depleted soils, and fragile financial returns. But it does so with humility and intelligence — enhancing soil organic carbon not as a goal, but as a proof point that the system is starting to hold.

Wilandra’s story is one of return — to function, to dignity, and to value long denied. The result is not just carbon in the soil. It’s confidence in the system, and in the farmer who makes it possible.

Farmers: Peter & Emma Wilkinson
Project Area: 1923 Ha

In Kendenup, at the foot of the Stirling Ranges, Dale and Penny Goodwin are building a system that doesn’t just survive pressure — it holds. The Goodies Soil Carbon Project isn’t about chasing carbon. It’s about restoring what makes land work: soil that breathes, paddocks that bounce back, and structure that lasts.

Years of set-stocking and tight seasons gave them insight. They saw water stall, soil slump, and yields slip — and chose not a quick fix, but a long-game repair. This project is a return to Functional Farming: land designed for life, not just output.

Subsurface drainage is relieving pressure. Deep ripping is opening pathways. And from dual-purpose crops to summer-active perennials, each choice builds cover, supports stock, and keeps carbon where it belongs.

But this isn’t just about the land — it’s about the people it feeds. The Goodies sell much of their produce locally, and their farm is structured not just for production, but for connection. It’s a place where care for the soil meets care for the community.

This isn’t a carbon play — it’s a confidence build. One that lifts stocking rates without compromise. That layers resilience into the business, not just for now, but for their next generation of farmers.

Farmers: Dale & Penny Goodwin
Project Area: 765 Ha

At Biara, north of Geraldton, the land runs long and light — sandy duplex soils shaped by wind, time, and decades of use. It’s challenging country: porous, exposed, and easily worn. But with steady shifts in management, it’s beginning to settle into something stronger.

The Biara Soil Carbon Project marks a quiet but deliberate change. What was once loosely rotated grazing across 600 head is moving toward a new level of control using virtual fencing technology. With collar-based systems, the Haslebys now manage grazing intensity, rest cycles, and stock movement without adding pressure to the landscape.

Land previously under continuous cropping is being returned to pasture, reducing erosion and building cover in some of the farm’s more fragile areas. The worst-affected blowouts — signs of long-term stress — are now under targeted reseeding and recovery.

This isn’t a showpiece. It’s a working farm adjusting its structure to match what the land can hold. And while carbon is part of the picture, the deeper signal is stability — in the soil, the system, and the steps being taken to make both more functional.

Biara is farming with intention — one decision at a time.

Farmers: Glenn & Zoe Haselby
Project Area: 1717 Ha