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Organizations across the U.S. are working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Agriculture is increasingly becoming part of the solution by reducing carbon emitted into the air on farms and sequestering carbon in the ground.
Courtney Hall, senior director of sustainability with CHS, discusses how carbon reduction practices and programs can benefit farmers.
“There has been more focus on understanding how the life cycle of carbon looks on the farm,” Hall says. “There are practices that emit carbon into the atmosphere – like tillage and nitrogen use. And other practices work to store carbon in the soil – such as conservation tillage and cover crops. All of it is tied to soil health.
“There is not a one-size-fits-all approach to this,” she continues. “Each farmer is going to want to manage their farm in ways that they know are best. Not all practices are going to work in every cropping system or geography.”
Industry emphasis
Governments and industries that depend on agriculture, such as food and fuel, are looking for ways to reduce the carbon impact of products and services.
The federal Renewable Fuel Standard and state-specific low-carbon fuel standards encourages adoption of fuels that have a lower carbon impact than conventional fuels. Low-carbon fuels include ethanol, biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel made from feedstocks such as corn, soybeans, used cooking oil and tallow.
“We are watching the development of new federal tax incentives that reward lower-carbon intensity fuels and there may be pathways for farmers to be a part of those solutions beyond just providing the feedstocks,” Hall says.
Food companies have set ambitious goals to reduce emissions in their supply chains, she continues. “Companies are looking at on-farm carbon as one of the levers to get to their goals and have been piloting and starting to scale programs directly with growers.”
Potential benefits
While implementing cropping practices for carbon outcomes can be beneficial, Hall says managing to improve soil health is just as important.
Conservation practices such as no-till and cover crops can sequester carbon, reduce erosion and increase water infiltration to better manage heavy rainfalls.
“There are lots of good resources from organizations and your crop advisors to help understand the benefits that you might get from adopting these practices,” she says.
Learn more
Hall says more than two dozen ag carbon programs that pay for practices or carbon outcomes are available to farmers.
“Unfortunately, there is not really a clearing house or much transparency about what these programs are just yet, but that is changing as programs move from pilot-scale to broader approaches,” she says. “In these early stages of development, it’s important to do your research and ask questions. Understand what the benefits of the program are and potential risks.”
She also suggests searching out organizations that can help farmers navigate ag carbon opportunities.
