Getting Started with Carbon: What to Know About Payments, Farm-level Practices

As the agricultural carbon economy continues to take shape, farmers are starting to ask some key questions the answers to which many say are essential to the successful establishment of agriculture’s ability to play a major role in carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emission reductions. Namely, farmers want to know how they’ll be paid for their carbon-smart practices. Two bills in Congress would make USDA the facilitator of payment structures while companies like Indigo Ag and Bayer Crop Science are promoting programs of their own that will write the checks. In seeking money for carbon sequestration efforts, however, farmers should first determine the necessary practices they’ll have to integrate at the farm level to net those payments. It’s a call to learn what specific practices will make you eligible for payments under each program currently offered or in development. One way to do so is by connecting with your local USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office to gauge the most effective current options for carbon sequestration, then see how those options stack up with those from companies offering payments for carbon credits. Learn more on how to get started here.