Stuart Upton has been appointed as the first general manager Australia of AgriProve – a leading carbon project developer.
The appointment adds to AgriProve’s ability to deliver successful results for the soil carbon projects already active in regenerating landscape function and accessing new sources of revenue to improve farms’ overall resilience and profitability.
Agriprove’s award-winning data driven approach supports over 500 projects totalling almost 160,000 hectares for active soil carbon management
Mr Upton has a long history in developing high performing teams and driving growth in the agribusiness sector, joining AgriProve from his role as director of commercial and marketing with Netafim, the world’s largest irrigation manufacturer and precision agriculture service provider.
Responsible for the business development, marketing, product offering and digital development of Netafim Australia and New Zealand, Mr Upton also spearheaded the company’s sustainability initiatives and championed agricultural plastic recycling programs.
Mr Upton holds a degree in integrated marketing communications and further executive development qualifications from Harvard Business School. Based in Melbourne, Mr Upton will provide a national presence and contribute to the ongoing growth and scalability of the Australian operations.
AgriProve’s evidence-based approach to soil carbon has been recognised by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) with a six-year research Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) grant to explore how sequestering carbon in soils can impact the carbon intensity of a livestock enterprise.
The $150,000 grant will support the Australian red meat industry in transitioning to carbon neutral by 2030 through growing understanding of how soil carbon impacts carbon intensity and farmgate revenue for landholders.
This research is just one of several research programs AgriProve supports in order to deliver the best outcomes for participating producers.
AgriProve founder and MD, Matthew Warnken said, “We are thrilled to welcome Stuart to AgriProve as we accelerate progress in building soil carbon in Australia. We are confident that his expertise and experience will reinforce our growth and focus on providing market-leading support to the farmers and producers we work with.”
“With over 500 projects totalling almost 160,000 hectares across Australia, AgriProve is on track to reach 1000 projects in 2023 and 10 million hectares by 2030.
“Appointing our very first General Manager is another important milestone. Stuart will provide the national leadership and drive necessary for AgriProve to keep hitting our goals and, in doing so, make a material difference to Australia’s Paris climate targets as well as for our partner farmers.”
