Rick Rice, AMVAC director of application technology, says grant programs aren't meant to forever subsidize a particular practice, but instead act as a catalyst for new participants to see its benefits.
“Our mission is to improve and expand our program to create additional opportunities for even more American farmers,” said Leonardo Bastos, Senior Vice President of Ecosystem Services at Bayer Crop Science.
The company says its year-over-year growth includes more farmers paid (215% increase in new growers), more fields enrolled (333% more new acres and a 297% increase in new fields) and more credits produced each year.
Brazil is home to about one-eighth of the world’s forests. I’m one of many farmers who would like to keep it this way—and we will if the government and the media treat us as partners rather than as enemies.
The program is structured so farmer users of Pivot Bio Proven 40 can participate in annual carbon insetting partnerships as a result of their change in practice.
The practices used during the 2024 growing season will have a direct impact on the ability to take advantage of these incentives. Mitchell Hora of Continuum Ag shares what you need to know.
Scope 3 is all the buzz lately in the world of sustainability. A company’s emissions are broken down into three scopes. Scope 3 covers indirect emissions from a company’s upstream and downstream supply chain.
Working and training with her mother, in 2019 Hallie Shoffner took the lead as CEO and continues to focus on growing the business, searching for opportunities in specialty crops and value-added production.
“We can move so much faster. By our estimates, less than 2% of farmers are participating in these programs industry wide,” Truterra president Jamie Leifker says.
Shop around if you’re interested in participating in a carbon program. Just make sure you have a learning mindset and a healthy level of skepticism in order to find the right one.
In 2024, the company, which started in Australia in crops such as barley and canola, is offering its product for use on soybean acres in six states: MN, SD, ND, WI, NE and IA.
By connecting farmers, agronomists, ag retailers and carbon buyers in one marketplace, the Connected Climate Exchange enables participation in carbon markets and sustainability programs, according to a press release.
COP28's decision to not include food and agriculture as a way to meet climate goals was influenced by a request from the G77 group of developing countries for additional review related to agriculture and food.
Removing compaction and density layers before transitioning to a vertical system can add 15 bu. to 20 bu. per acre and might lower cost of production, according to Farm Journal Test Plot research.
There are efforts underway to mitigate the concern about losing farmland to solar panels. One of these is agrivoltaics, which is combining agriculture with solar installations, and it's already turning heads in Canada.
If farmers can experience a financial incentive in carbon farming that supports the practices and measurement strategies they have in place, many will begin working with imagination to become excellent carbon farmers.
What is vertical farming and how can it set you up for future government incentives? Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal field agronomist, explains it often requires mixing and matching tools for primary and secondary tillage.
Today, they announced a $250 million capital funding round. “We are shifting into the next phase of maturity as a company – a trusted partner that is delivering critical sustainability solutions,” says Ron Hovsepian.
Carbon pipelines are stirring up controversy. According to John Phipps, projects like pipelines, transmission lines or solar arrays are bitterly and usually unsuccessfully opposed, but only by those affected.
“This is an immense opportunity. For the first time, 45Z provides farmers and biofuel manufacturers a scoreboard with a transparent points system and a business model that rewards scoring points," says Mitchell Hora.
Rural electric cooperatives, utilities and other energy providers will soon be able to apply for nearly $11 billion in grants and loans for clean energy projects, funded by the $430 billion Inflation Reduction Act.
“If you raise 200 bu. corn with a CI score of 0, that’s $1.57 per bushel and an extra $314 in value. Now, the ethanol plant isn’t expected to share 100%, but it could be 25% to 30%," says Paul Neiffer, a farm CPA.
Waste issues for renewables may seem huge but not when compared to the alternatives. John Phipps says one problem is the availability bias. He analyzes the cost of the waste compared to alternatives in Customer Support.
Renewable diesel is revving up interest from both agriculture and the oil industry, and now oil and agriculture companies are teaming up to find additional crop sources to fuel the growing demand.
“What we need to do to move carbon past the starting line is to show farmers the scoreboard and tell them exactly what they need to do to earn their points,” said Mitchell Hora.
A new partnership between Corteva, Bunge and Chevron to create proprietary canola hybrids will boost vegetable oil supplies to fuel the renewable diesel market while also creating a new revenue stream for farmers.
Most carbon programs available to farmers have required a change in practice, which left many long-term users of no-till practices and cover crops on the sidelines. However, 2023 is shaping up as a turning point.
As the carbon market continues to develop, a multitude of factors lend to its complexity. These intricacies weigh heavy on the minds of many ranchers entertaining the idea of partaking in the carbon market.
United Airlines is teaming up with a corn ethanol maker in a bid to ramp up production of green jet fuel to deal with carbon credits and climate change by 2028.
Tom Ryan says this will be a transformational year for two reasons: the groundswell of efforts with USDA Climate Smart grants and a shifting focus to carbon insets.
Currently, most voluntary carbon programs are based on payment for a change of practice on the farm. But what’s the tipping point for farmers to make any change in exchange for enrollment in a carbon program?
“The funds awarded today by the DOE will undoubtedly accelerate the innovations taking place at U.S. ethanol plants, opening new opportunities for low-cost, low-carbon energy,” says Growth Energy's Emily Skor.
Profitability and efficiency are big drivers for growers evaluating conservation-based farming practices. Each farmer who spoke at the Trust In Food Symposium said they have adopted at least one such practice, to date.
The House on Friday averted a government shutdown by voting 225 to 201 in favor of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023—the omnibus spending bill. Here's what's in it for ag.
Text of the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package was released early Tuesday morning. The Senate will vote first and intends to pass the measure before Thursday, leaving the House no time to demand changes.