A carbon markets advisor says more farmers are turning their sustainable practices into cash. Lauren Lindner with Indigo Ag says there are several carbon market opportunities including their Carbon by Indigo program. “Corporates that want to offset their emissions by purchasing carbon credits can engage with us that way, and growers can as well. And then, we also have a number of sustainable sourcing programs.”
She says the sourcing programs allow food companies to find sustainably raised grain.
Lindner says they try to help farmers at every level of their sustainable ag journey. “We know that not every grower is going to start with no-till and cover crops tomorrow, but if they want to start testing some of those practice changes, getting involved, you know, there’s typically a program under our portfolio that can kind of meet you where you’re at and start to try to monetize those sustainable decisions that they are making.”
According to Lindner, farmers could soon benefit from the carbon markets in the biofuels space. “We’re also starting to look at the 45Z space with biofuels and running some test programs there, so if and when guidance is finalized on that level, we’ll be able to offer value to growers on that platform as well.”
Lindner says Indigo Ag has more than one million carbon credits issued with eight million acres enrolled in their program and has paid more than three thousand growers for their efforts.
EDITOR’S TAKE:
Although carbon sequestration and selling carbon credits have been around for some time now, the fact that more farmers are taking advantage of such programs means they are finally gaining popularity. In one of my past lives while serving as Chair of the Conservation Technology Information Center board, the concept of carbon markets was just being introduced. It was presented as a net win for farmers and for corporations with air quality issues. Carbon sequestration also helps drive sustainable agriculture by promoting various combinations of practices that have actually been proven to sequester carbon in the soil.
Perhaps there are farmers in your area who supplement their income by offering carbon credits to a carbon exchange. That means they will also have additional income that could be used to purchase or lease that new truck. It might be worth your time to inquire whether they are participating in a carbon credit exchange program. If so, put that information in your thoughts about how you might engage that customer during the sales process. They are obviously interested in supporting sustainable practices and making additional income in the process.
