by Jenny Shaffstall (AgWeb) The carbon market will grow over the next three years -- Farm Journal’s August 2021 Carbon Survey found that 3.32% of respondents were participating in an non-governmental carbon market, up from an Ag Barometer last spring where only 1% of farmers had entered into a contract. And 55% of survey respondents said that they plan on joining the market in the next three years.
...
Money in the dirt?
While the carbon market is poised for growth, there are some lingering issues. Almost half of the respondents to Farm Journal’s Carbon Survey said they would need a return on investment of more than $20,000 to participate in carbon markets.
Many respondents said that the available programs were only paying on newly adopted practices and not pre-existing practices. Others thought their operation was too small to count or that the expenses required to adopt new practices would not be offset by the return on investment. A few viewed the carbon markets as a means for others to make money and said they didn’t see how it benefited them.
...
Farmers also struggle to trust the motives behind the carbon market. Respondents to Farm Journal’s Carbon Survey cited fears that markets could lead to regulations that unfairly penalize them or create circumstances where they lose control over their operation. READ MORE
Clarity in Carbon Marketplace Needed, say Iowa State and EDF Reports (AgWeb)
Iowa Farmer Shares Firsthand Experience with Carbon Markets (AgWeb)
Farmer Shares Top 10 Considerations With Carbon Markets (AgWeb)
5 Tools to Unravel Carbon Market (AgWeb)
Carbon credits entice new players (Delta Farm Press)
The Carbon Hype: Three Reality Checks (Trust in Food)
Iowa Farmer Shares Firsthand Experience with Carbon Markets (Trust in Food)
Will Carbon Markets Drive Farmers to Collect More Data? (AgWeb)
Carbon markets evolving: The way forward for the US agrifood sector (AgFunder Network)
Row Crop Recipe: Practices to Help Agriculture Reduce Nitrogen Loss, Cut Carbon Footprint (AgWeb)
Markets that pay woodland owners to store carbon are complex, controversial -- Maine, the nation's most heavily forested state, has been an early participant in so-called carbon offset markets. (Portland Press Herald)
AGRICULTURE PRODUCES JUST 1% OF CARBON CREDITS, DATA SUGGESTS (Successful Farming/AgFunder)
3 challenges to carbon measurement accuracy (Southwest Farm Press)
Carbon in the Commonwealth of PA (Pennsylvania State University Extension; includes VIDEO and handouts)
7 CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE YOU SIGN ON TO A CARBON MARKET AGREEMENT (Farm Journal)
Cover crops as cash crops: Farmers angle to profit off the practice (Agri-Pulse)
Collaboration & innovation key to developing farmer-focused carbon markets (Ag Funder News/America's Cultivation Corridor)
Support to restrict how much land farmers can revegetate for carbon (Farm Weekly)
Vilsack: Carbon measuring key to wooing skeptical farmers (Agri-Pulse)
Excerpt from Trust in Food: 1. Farmers just aren’t ready: Purdue University reported in their March Ag Economy Barometer that only 1% of farmers in the U.S. have actually signed a contract for carbon sequestration.
That’s telling, but it is actually a lagging indicator, since there is a whole lot of work that has to happen before a producer can sign a contract. At Trust In Food™, we focus on tracking the leading indicators of change. A big one we’re tracking is the percentage of farmers who have the digital infrastructure required to participate in most, if not all, of these carbon market opportunities. In this year’s Farmer Perspectives On Data report, we found that 62% of farmers surveyed are not fully digitally integrated in how they manage their farm information, and almost a third are primarily pen and paper.
Tellingly, farmers are starting to show interest in getting ready, though. Farm Journal’s 2021 Technology survey revealed that not quite half – 44% — of those surveyed saw emerging opportunities like carbon markets as enough of an incentive to collect more, and better, data. That’s an encouraging sign, especially when we consider how much time and energy it can take to set up and transition to digitized management.
...
2. Producers’ skepticism is founded: Anecdotally, I can tell you that for every farmer I’ve met that is eager for carbon market opportunities, there are at least another two or three who are downright skeptical. I can understand why. Farmers have been sold on more sustainable practices based on the promise of improved economics. But farmers report that they aren’t really seeing the financial upside, at least not yet. In our 2020 State of Sustainable Ag report that we co-produced with Field To Market, the vast majority of farmers reported that they’re undertaking at least some level of conservation-oriented practices. But nearly three in four say they’re not experiencing better economics as a result.
...
3. Diversification is underway. From place to place, and event to event, one of the most noticeable shifts that I heard was the inclusion of different types of carbon sequestration and avoided emissions in people’s conversations. READ MORE
Excerpt from Trust in Food: The first two questions Mehmen thinks farmers should ask themselves are:
- Is my digital house in order enough so my data can be applied across a platform?
- Am I interested in a company that is a hub or am I more interested in looking at bolt-on companies with additional services, such as soil sampling or data entry?
Farmers can expect one of two paths with carbon programs, Mehmen says.
“The easier it is to participate in a program, the less it tends to pay. The more work you have to put in, the greater the financial reward,” he says.
Farmers skeptical of lower-paying programs should remember scale. “A little number times a big number becomes a bigger number,” he says. “If it’s $20 an acre times 1,000 acres that’s $20,000. If it’s $20 an acre times 10,000 acres it’s $200,000. Both are worth working for.”
NEW VERSUS OLD
The biggest gains for farmers, Mehmen says, could come from adopting agronomic practices you are interested in for reasons beyond the carbon potential. READ MORE
Excerpt from Southwest Farm Press: "There are many challenges or difficulties when it comes to accurately measuring carbon in the soil," says Soil Scientist Katie Lewis, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension.
Lewis discussed three potential issues at the recent Texas Alliance for Water Conservation Field Day in Lubbock.
Depth
The first challenge is the depth at which carbon is measured, she says. "If we're taking a shallow sample, say zero to 4 or 6 inches, that is the most microbially active depth within the soil, so there's going to be such a high turnover that it's hard to get a good estimate of how much carbon is going to be stored.
"The best recommendation would be to take a deeper soil core to estimate carbon stocks, say to a 36-inch depth in the profile – 3 to 4 feet would be the best recommendation. Deeper in the profile, you're going to have greater potential to store long-term, more recalcitrant carbon because it's protected from disturbances and microbial activity."
Methodology
The second issue is settling on a method to determine carbon concentrations. "There are different labs across the U.S. that use different methods that work best for their operation. Labs may use a dry combustion technique to measure the total carbon in the soil. But we have to account for the inorganic fraction so that we can determine the organic fraction," Lewis explains. "We don't want to measure calcium carbonates in the soil as part of organic carbon."
Other labs prefer to measure organic matter and use estimates to calculate organic carbon, she says. "As a scientific community, we would have to decide what method is going to be the most appropriate and is going to do the best job of determining carbon across the U.S., and we would have to settle on one method."
Consistency across labs is vital. If each lab is doing something different then, "your numbers are going to be underestimated in some cases and possibly overestimated in others."
Collection consistency
The time of year carbon samples are gathered also is a concern. "Depending on when that sample is collected, you can get very different numbers throughout a growing season."
For example, if the soil is sampled while a crop is actively growing, Lewis says a lot of the carbon that's being photosynthesized, captured from the atmosphere by the plants, will be released through the roots as carbon exudates. "If you collected a sample at that point, you're going to have this massive overestimation of the long-term carbon stored in the soil."
How often samples are taken has yet to be determined as well, Lewis says.
"As a soil scientist, I think it needs to happen once a year at the same time in between crops. So, if you have a crop rotation of cotton and sorghum, you need to come out between that transition, between harvest and planting the following crop. It's the same with cover crops. You need to wait until the cover crops are terminated and before you plant your cash crop." READ MORE
Excerpt from Agri-Pulse: Companies and farm groups that are trying to recruit farmers to sign up for climate plans often face skeptical producers who fear that most, if not all, of the financial benefit will go to retailers and manufacturers who get to label their products as good for the environment. READ MORE
More than 50,000 articles in our online library!
Use the categories and tags listed below to access the nearly 50,000 articles indexed on this website.
Advanced Biofuels USA Policy Statements and Handouts!
- For Kids: Carbon Cycle Puzzle Page
- Why Ethanol? Why E85?
- Just A Minute 3-5 Minute Educational Videos
- 30/30 Online Presentations
- “Disappearing” Carbon Tax for Non-Renewable Fuels
- What’s the Difference between Biodiesel and Renewable (Green) Diesel? 2020 revision
- How to De-Fossilize Your Fleet: Suggestions for Fleet Managers Working on Sustainability Programs
- New Engine Technologies Could Produce Similar Mileage for All Ethanol Fuel Mixtures
- Action Plan for a Sustainable Advanced Biofuel Economy
- The Interaction of the Clean Air Act, California’s CAA Waiver, Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards, Renewable Fuel Standards and California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard
- Latest Data on Fuel Mileage and GHG Benefits of E30
- What Can I Do?
Donate
DonateARCHIVES
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- June 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- October 2006
- April 2006
- January 2006
- April 2005
- December 2004
- November 2004
- December 1987
CATEGORIES
- About Us
- Advanced Biofuels Call to Action
- Aviation Fuel/Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
- BioChemicals/Renewable Chemicals
- BioRefineries/Renewable Fuel Production
- Business News/Analysis
- Cooking Fuel
- Education
- 30/30 Online Presentations
- Competitions, Contests
- Earth Day 2021
- Earth Day 2022
- Earth Day 2023
- Earth Day 2024
- Executive Training
- Featured Study Programs
- Instagram TikTok Short Videos
- Internships
- Just a Minute
- K-12 Activities
- Mechanics training
- Online Courses
- Podcasts
- Scholarships/Fellowships
- Teacher Resources
- Technical Training
- Technician Training
- University/College Programs
- Events
- Coming Events
- Completed Events
- More Coming Events
- Requests for Speakers, Presentations, Posters
- Requests for Speakers, Presentations, Posters Completed
- Webinars/Online
- Webinars/Online Completed; often available on-demand
- Federal Agency/Executive Branch
- Agency for International Development (USAID)
- Agriculture (USDA)
- Commerce Department
- Commodity Futures Trading Commission
- Congressional Budget Office
- Defense (DOD)
- Air Force
- Army
- DARPA (Defense Advance Research Projects Agency)
- Defense Logistics Agency
- Marines
- Navy
- Education Department
- Energy (DOE)
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
- Federal Reserve System
- Federal Trade Commission
- Food and Drug Administration
- General Services Administration
- Government Accountability Office (GAO)
- Health and Human Services (HHS)
- Homeland Security
- Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- Interior Department
- International Trade Commission
- Joint Office of Energy and Transportation
- Justice (DOJ)
- Labor Department
- National Academy of Sciences
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- National Research Council
- National Science Foundation
- National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration
- Overseas Private Investment Corporation
- Patent and Trademark Office
- Securities and Exchange Commission
- State Department
- Surface Transportation Board
- Transportation (DOT)
- Federal Aviation Administration
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
- Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Admin (PHMSA)
- Treasury Department
- U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)
- White House
- Federal Legislation
- Federal Litigation
- Federal Regulation
- Feedstocks
- Agriculture/Food Processing Residues nonfield crop
- Alcohol/Ethanol/Isobutanol
- Algae/Other Aquatic Organisms/Seaweed
- Atmosphere
- Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
- Field/Orchard/Plantation Crops/Residues
- Forestry/Wood/Residues/Waste
- hydrogen
- Manure
- Methane/Biogas
- methanol/bio-/renewable methanol
- Not Agriculture
- RFNBO (Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin)
- Seawater
- Sugars
- water
- Funding/Financing/Investing
- grants
- Green Jobs
- Green Racing
- Health Concerns/Benefits
- Heating Oil/Fuel
- History of Advanced Biofuels
- Infrastructure
- Aggregation
- Biofuels Engine Design
- Biorefinery/Fuel Production Infrastructure
- Carbon Capture/Storage/Use
- certification
- Deliver Dispense
- Farming/Growing
- Precursors/Biointermediates
- Preprocessing
- Pretreatment
- Terminals Transport Pipelines
- International
- Abu Dhabi
- Afghanistan
- Africa
- Albania
- Algeria
- Angola
- Antarctica
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Aruba
- Asia
- Asia Pacific
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Beliz
- Benin
- Bermuda
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Caribbean
- Central African Republic
- Central America
- Chad
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Congo, Democratic Republic of
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Dominican Republic
- Dubai
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eqypt
- Estonia
- Ethiopia
- European Union (EU)
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- French Guiana
- Gabon
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Global South
- Greece
- Greenland
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Ivory Coast
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jersey
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Korea
- Kosovo
- Kuwait
- Laos
- Latin America
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Liberia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macedonia
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Middle East
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar/Burma
- Namibia
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- New Guinea
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- North Africa
- North Korea
- Northern Ireland
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Romania
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Saudi Arabia
- Scotland
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- South Africa
- South America
- South Korea
- South Sudan
- Southeast Asia
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Swaziland
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Uganda
- UK (United Kingdom)
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates UAE
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vatican
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Wales
- Zambia
- Zanzibar
- Zimbabwe
- Marine/Boat Bio and Renewable Fuel/MGO/MDO/SMF
- Marketing/Market Forces and Sales
- Opinions
- Organizations
- Original Writing, Opinions Advanced Biofuels USA
- Policy
- Presentations
- Biofuels Digest Conferences
- DOE Conferences
- Bioeconomy 2017
- Bioenergy2015
- Biomass2008
- Biomass2009
- Biomass2010
- Biomass2011
- Biomass2012
- Biomass2013
- Biomass2014
- DOE Project Peer Review
- Other Conferences/Events
- R & D Focus
- Carbon Capture/Storage/Use
- Co-Products
- Feedstock
- Logistics
- Performance
- Process
- Vehicle/Engine/Motor/Aircraft/Boiler
- Yeast
- Railroad/Train/Locomotive Fuel
- Resources
- Books Web Sites etc
- Business
- Definition of Advanced Biofuels
- Find Stuff
- Government Resources
- Scientific Resources
- Technical Resources
- Tools/Decision-Making
- Rocket/Missile Fuel
- Sponsors
- States
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawai'i
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Midwest
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Native American tribal nation lands
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Puerto Rico
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington DC
- West Coast
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Sustainability
- Uncategorized
- What You Can Do
tags
© 2008-2023 Copyright Advanced BioFuels USA. All Rights reserved.
Comments are closed.