SoilCQuest

What SoilCQuest does

SoilCQuest 2031 is an Australian not-for-profit research institute founded in 2012, headquartered in Forbes, NSW, with operations across NSW and Victoria. It conducts applied soil carbon and climate-smart agriculture research, education, and extension services for Australian agricultural producers and their trusted advisors. Its core technology centres on a microbial inoculum developed from a melanised endophytic fungus discovered by Professor Peter McGee at the University of Sydney, which is licensed to commercial spin-off Loam Bio (in which SoilCQuest holds a major shareholding). The institute delivers three self-paced online courses (Growing Soil Carbon, Soil and the Carbon Economy, and a Masterclass in Growing Soil Carbon that serves as a pathway to Soil Science Australia's RSP-SC accreditation), a subscription Research Library of scientific paper overviews ($89/year), and farmer-collaboration programs including Exemplar Farms (on-farm validation trials), Carbon Farmscapes (extension and adoption), and specialised research projects (ForGood Carbon, Multi-graze, Climate Resilient Soils Network).

The organisation operates under a hybrid not-for-profit commercial model with no shareholders — only members — and is governed independently under ACNC registration (Category: Science & Technology) and CSIRO Approved Research Institute status (since 2017). Revenue is derived from four streams: tax-deductible donations, competitive research grants (notably the Australian Government's National Landcare Program, The Ian Potter Foundation, and 1% for the Planet), the $89/year Research Library membership subscription, and an anticipated future dividend from its Loam Bio equity stake. Distribution is community-led, combining digital self-serve learning, on-farm field days and paddock trials, and partnerships with Landcare networks, universities (ANU, University of Sydney), and technology providers (Downforce Technologies). The customer base is concentrated in Australian broad-acre cropping, grazing, and mixed farming SMBs, with secondary audiences of agricultural advisors and government/peak bodies engaged through policy and funding pathways.

Name

SoilCQuest

Legal name

SoilCQuest 2031 Ltd

Website

https://soilcquest.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SoilCQuest 2031 is a not-for-profit Australian research institute that conducts applied soil carbon research, delivers accredited online courses and a subscription research library, and runs on-farm validation and extension programs for Australian agricultural producers and their advisors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Research and Education Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Crop Production (11511), Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating (115112)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Soil Carbon & Regenerative Agriculture Removal (Soil Organic Carbon Credits) (EUABAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Soil Health & Biological Testing Services (Microbial Activity, Organic Matter, Respiration) (AFACAKAD), Soil & Biomass Carbon Measurement (Soil Sampling, Forest Inventory, Blue Carbon) (EUABACAH), Biochar & Carbon-Based Soil Conditioners (AFABADAD), Grassland/Rangeland Management & Restoration (EUABABAF)

Keywords

• Soil carbon research
• Agricultural education
• Carbon farming advisory
• Climate-smart agriculture
• On-farm research trials

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and organisations supporting soil carbon research and climate action. SoilCQuest is a registered charity under ACNC certification.
2. Research Grants: Funding from government programs, foundations, and organisations for specific research projects. Notable grants include Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water (National Landcare Program), The Ian Potter Foundation, and 1% for the Planet.
3. Resource Library Membership: Annual membership subscription providing unlimited access to the extensive research library of scientific paper overviews on soil carbon topics. Priced at $89 per year.
4. Dividend Income from Loam Bio: SoilCQuest is a major shareholder in Loam Bio, a commercial spin-off company formed to commercialise the microbial inoculum technology. Future dividend income is anticipated to contribute to research and extension programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SoilCQuest is an Australian not-for-profit research institute that develops, validates, and extends soil carbon sequestration knowledge and practices for agriculture. Its core offerings are educational online courses (Growing Soil Carbon, Soil and the Carbon Economy, and a Masterclass), a subscription Research Library of curated scientific paper overviews, and farmer-facing programs (Exemplar Farms and Carbon Farmscapes) that deliver on-farm research trials, extension, and advisor training.

Product overview

SoilCQuest is a not-for-profit research institute offering educational courses, membership-based research resources, and farmer collaboration programs. Its product portfolio includes three tiered online courses (Growing Soil Carbon, Soil and the Carbon Economy, and Masterclass in Growing Soil Carbon) that progressively serve producers, advisors, and certified practitioners; a membership Research Library providing access to curated scientific paper overviews; and farmer-facing programs such as Exemplar Farms for validating innovative practices, Carbon Farmscapes for extension and education, and specialized research projects including ForGood Carbon and Multi-graze. The organization operates without a public API or SaaS product, functioning primarily as a research, education, and extension service for Australian agriculture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ForGood Carbon: Research project seeking to understand activities which increase atmospheric carbon stored and retained in soil, utilizing ACCU retirement mechanisms that do not involve offsetting.
• Exemplar Farms
• Carbon Farmscapes

Products and services

• Growing Soil Carbon (Online Course) Self-paced online course for Australian agricultural producers covering soil carbon agronomy, farm emissions, and carbon farming projects.
• Soil and the Carbon Economy (Online Course) Online course for agricultural advisors including agronomists, covering soil carbon science and carbon economy topics; included with Resource Library membership.
• Masterclass in Growing Soil Carbon Advanced online course for soil carbon advisors, service providers, soil practitioners, consultants, and NRM advisors; serves as a pathway to Soil Science Australia's Soil Carbon (RSP-SC) accreditation.
• Research Library Membership Annual subscription library providing unlimited access to curated scientific paper overviews covering cropping, grazing, land management change, limiting and enhancing processes, natural capital accounting, and soil additions, with executive summaries of peer-reviewed papers relevant to Australian farming systems.
• Exemplar Farms Program Partnership program collaborating with farmers to validate innovative climate-smart agricultural practices, measuring outcomes through economic viability, soil carbon, and emissions-reduction science lenses.
• Carbon Farmscapes Program Extension program empowering Australian producers and advisors to implement soil carbon-building practices, providing education on ACCU Scheme and Soil Carbon Methods.

Quantifiable outcome

• Agriculture could reduce emissions by up to 26 Gt-CO2-eq and sequester up to 193 Gt-CO2-eq by 2050 through shifting practices globally
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Downforce TechnologiescoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2023Research partnership to test Downforce's remote sensing software for estimating soil organic carbon percentages (SOC%) under different farm management practices. Downforce Technologies is ISO 14064-2 certified, making it the first company globally to offer ISO-certified remote soil organic carbon measurement and land management assessments.
• Viridis AgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research trial at Viridis Ag's farm 'Gindurra' in Canowindra, NSW, testing and comparing foliar urea-N and humic-coated urea fertilisation treatments for agronomic efficiency.
• ForGood CarboncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated research project seeking to understand through secondary research and applied discovery testing activities which increase atmospheric carbon stored and retained in soil, using ACCU retirement mechanisms that do not involve offsetting, through a new model of enhanced farmer and donor engagement in carbon credit projects with co-benefits.
• University of SydneyflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessor Peter McGee of the University of Sydney discovered the melanised endophytic fungus that sequesters long-lasting soil organic carbon around plant roots. Upon retirement, Professor McGee donated his soil fungi library to SoilCQuest for research into developing the microbial inoculum.
• Australian National University (ANU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner collaborating on soil carbon research, including involvement in the Climate Resilient Soils Network project and Justin Borevitz's work in the Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology.
• KalyxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural research partner collaborated with SoilCQuest and Grant Sims on the 2019-2020 field experiment assessing soil carbon changes and crop yields in intercropping versus monoculture systems.
• Landcare NetworkscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with regional Landcare networks including Central West Lachlan Landcare, Mid Lachlan Landcare, Little River Landcare, Central Tablelands Landcare, and Weddin Landcare for the Climate Resilient Soils Network project, supporting farmer engagement and adoption of climate-smart practices.
• Industry Supporters (Kilter Rural, Sumitomo Chemicals, Top Soil Organics)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry supporters providing in-kind support for the Climate Resilient Soils Network project, including agricultural products and expertise.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Southern Cross University — Soil Carbon Research Centre: Australian academic research centre focused on soil carbon measurement and sequestration; comparable as an Australian non-commercial peer producing soil carbon science and extension content.
• GRDC (Grains Research and Development Corporation): Australian grains R&D funder with deep investment in soil health research; comparable as a stakeholder/funder peer — SoilCQuest Deputy Chair Brondwen MacLean previously served as GM Research Programs at GRDC.
• Australian and New Zealand Biochar Industry Group: Industry body advancing biochar adoption in Australia; SoilCQuest's Adam O'Toole chairs its standards working group, making this a thematically adjacent ecosystem participant around biochar as a soil amendment.

Emerging players

• CIBO Technologies: Provides scalable soil carbon measurement and modelling for agriculture and carbon programmes; comparable in applying remote sensing and modelling to soil carbon MRV, an area SoilCQuest also pursues through its Downforce partnership.
• Nori: Carbon removal marketplace with a soil carbon protocol that pays farmers for tonnes of CO2 sequestered; overlaps in soil carbon verification methodology and farmer advisory content.
• Boomitra: Operates a global soil carbon credit programme using remote sensing and agronomic data; comparable as a soil carbon MRV-and-credit peer with farmer-network engagement.

Direct peers

• Loam Bio: Commercial spin-off of SoilCQuest developing the same melanised endophytic fungal inoculum for soil carbon sequestration; SoilCQuest is a major shareholder, making it the most direct strategic peer and counterparty.
• Downforce Technologies: Partner of SoilCQuest and an ISO 14064-2 certified remote SOC% measurement provider; comparable as a peer on soil organic carbon measurement and land management assessment services.

Broad incumbents

• Indigo Ag: Large-scale agtech incumbent running a major soil carbon programme (Indigo Carbon) that pays farmers for carbon credits generated from regenerative practices; overlaps in target audience (broad-acre farmers) and soil carbon credit model.
• Agoro Carbon Alliance: Backed by Yara, incentivises farmer adoption of climate-smart practices and pays for verified soil carbon removals; directly comparable on the farmer-facing carbon farming advisory and verification side.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SoilCQuest
• Facebookfacebook.com/soilcquest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/soilcquest
• Instagraminstagram.com/soilcquest
• Xx.com/soilcquest

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SoilCQuest