Verterra and MLA to quantify the co-benefits of environmental market participation for graziers
Brisbane: 26th June 2026 - Verterra Ecological Engineering has partnered with Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) to launch a pilot scheme that builds a pathway for graziers to access emerging environmental market opportunities, including water quality and soil carbon, through a single whole-of-property management approach.
The pilot projects will be the first delivered through Verterra’s DROVER Land Management service, and its partnership with leading soil carbon developer, AgriProve.
Verterra is co-funding the pilot program with MLA and is seeking commercial grazing enterprises across the Great Barrier Reef catchments and Murray-Darling Basin to take part.
“The objective is to establish real-world evidence of market co-benefits - improvements in landscape function resulting from market-based land management actions. They are often talked about, but not measured”, said Andrew Yates, Sector Lead of Ecosystem Markets, Verterra Ecological Engineering.
“This work will enable graziers to quantify potential productivity gains from involvement in emerging markets and make more informed decisions in the future”, Yates continued.
Importantly, the program isn’t just about generating credits.
“Landscapes don’t operate in silos, but that’s how we currently value land management outcomes,” explained Yates. “This program is about recognising that good land management delivers multiple benefits. If we can measure and reward those benefits effectively and stack value into the landscape, we can help move agriculture towards a commercially resilient future.”
Graziers within Great Barrier Reef Catchments and the Murray-Darling Basin are being sought to participate in an MLA-backed pilot project.
Testing the real-world practicalities of project stacking
The pilot will test the practical application of “stacked” environmental projects, to establish a precedent for measuring and rewarding multiple outcomes across the landscape.
Bringing together Verterra’s DROVER Monitor landscape performance and water quality monitoring capabilities with AgriProve’s HORIZON soil carbon platform, productivity, soil health, soil carbon, ground cover and erosion will all be tracked, measured and verified to demonstrate whole-of-landscape outcomes.
"Everything we do at AgriProve is focused on rewarding landholders who are actively improving the productivity, profitability and sustainability of their operations. Soil carbon is one powerful way to do that, and this partnership with Verterra creates another, said Kieren Whittock, General Manager of AgriProve.
“Graziers who are building healthier soils and improving ground cover deserve to be rewarded across every dimension of that work, and this stacking opportunity makes that possible. We are excited to be delivering this market opportunity alongside Verterra." Whittock said.
Expressions of Interest
The partners are currently seeking expressions of interest from grazing enterprises within:
Queensland Great Barrier Reef catchments, initially focused on the Fitzroy Basin and surrounding regions
The Murray-Darling Basin, initially within a two-hour radius of Albury
Landholders participating in the pilot will be offered:
Property-level analysis using the combined DROVER and HORIZON platforms
Assessment of soil carbon, water quality and landscape performance opportunities
Whole-of-property grazing land management planning support
Ongoing technical support throughout the pilot period
Participation in water quality project development at no cost for the first three years, where applicable
Access to field days, demonstration activities and knowledge-sharing initiatives
Submitting an expression of interest carries no cost or obligation and allows landholders to better understand the potential opportunities available for their property.
For more information on the pilot program visit: https://droverlandmanagement.com/mla-pilot/
Or contact the team at DROVER Land Management:
drover@verterra.com.au
07 3221 1102