U.S. Farmers Receive $1.2 Million in Carbon Farming Payments through CarbonNOW® Program

August 10, 2022

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(Locus Agricultural Solutions) Payments were made to farmers in Locus Agricultural Solutions’ CarbonNOW® carbon farming program, through funding from Anew Climate, LLC (previously Bluesource) and Green Star Royalties; Compensation was received within 8 months of enrollment in CarbonNOW—making them the fastest carbon payments made through any carbon farming program; CarbonNOW is the most accessible carbon farming program and the only agriculture program with guaranteed upfront and minimum annual payments

U.S. farmers are celebrating a monumental carbon farming milestone—rapid receipt of over $1.2 million in carbon payments. The payments were made upfront on a per-acre basis to over 40 growers through CarbonNOW^®, a globally recognized carbon farming program from Locus Agricultural Solutions^® (Locus AG). Farmers received the initial compensation within 8 months of joining CarbonNOW—making it the fastest prepayment from any agricultural carbon farming program.

Carbon farming expert Travis Kraft evaluating soil

The efficient upfront payments are crucial for farmers making practice changes amid rising gas, fertilizer and seed prices, along with equipment and material shortages. The CarbonNOW payments also pave the way for broader farmer participation in carbon farming.

“It’s important for farmers to see financial compensation early on for the time dedicated to a carbon farming program, plus co-benefits to help ensure a successful growing season,” said Travis Kraft, Locus AG’s director of row crops and CarbonNOW carbon farming expert. “With CarbonNOW, farmers don’t have to wait years for payment. They get guaranteed money upfront with no program fees, plus the chance for bonuses.”

Farmers Face Financial Hesitations with Carbon Farming Programs

There are almost 900 million acres of farmland in the U.S., but only a small fraction of them are part of a carbon market. Many farmers across the country have investigated carbon farming as a new source of revenue to overcome the shrinking margins of the agriculture market. However, they are often faced with lengthy wait times for payment, program fees and lower-than-anticipated payouts.

According to Kraft, there are three important financial details farmers should ask about a carbon farming program to select the best option:

What is the total dollar amount they’ll be paid for their carbon?
How long will it take to receive that carbon payment?
How much will it cost to participate in the carbon farming program?

“The CarbonNOW team and its carbon partners held up their end of the deal and came through on their promises,” said CarbonNOW farmer Scott Scheimer, owner of Scheimer Farms and Simple Farms, LLC. “When you’re in a tight-margin industry like agriculture, it’s important to establish relationships with people that are experts in these fields and be able to trust their input.”

CarbonNOW Carbon Farming Program Provides Guaranteed Carbon Payments

The CarbonNOW carbon farming program was developed to overcome financial hesitations that hinder farmer participation in carbon markets. It is the first carbon program to offer guaranteed annual minimums with upfront cash payments, accruing performance bonuses and no program fees.

“The upfront CarbonNOW payments helped me cover the increasing operational expenses we’re facing—fuel, fertilizer and product costs,” said CarbonNOW farmer Todd Olander, owner of Olander Farms and Root Shoot Malting. “With Locus AG’s carbon farming program, we can add more value than just growing commodity crops, and help sustain our farming long-term.”

Farmers Use Qualifying Soil Probiotics for Additional Financial Benefits

Many of the farmers that were part of the $1.2 million carbon payments were able to join CarbonNOW despite not qualifying for other carbon farming programs. That’s because CarbonNOW provides access to novel microbial soil amendments, or soil probiotics, that count as a required regenerative agriculture practice change.

In addition to broader eligibility, the soil probiotics also accelerate profitability for the farmer and enable potential performance bonuses by:

increasing carbon sequestration
enhancing nutrient uptake
boosting crop productivity / yields

Locus AG’s CarbonNOW experts help farmers track these co-benefits through free-of-charge, on-farm soil testing and third-party validations.

“Incorporating Locus AG’s soil probiotics is a minimal practice change that doesn’t require different infrastructure or equipment that you may not have, or require changes in how you farm that you may not want,” said Illinois CarbonNOW farmer, Mark Boston. “Farmers should look at the differences in the carbon farming programs out there. That’s what made CarbonNOW make the most sense for me.”

Carbon farming experts Jamie MacKinnon (left) from Anew and Travis Kraft from Locus AG (right) standing in a field with CarbonNOW farmer Scott Scheimer (middle)

Strategic Partnerships Ensure Program Security through Trusted Carbon Market Expertise

The carbon farming payments are made possible through a partnership between Locus AG and Anew Climate, LLC (“Anew”, formerly Bluesource). As one of the largest carbon project developers, Anew holds the scientific and marketing expertise to bring these premium carbon credits to the marketplace for corporate buyers looking to align their net-zero or carbon neutral initiatives with agricultural co-benefits. Funding for the upfront payments was provided by Green Star Royalties Ltd, a pure-green subsidiary of Star Royalties Ltd.

The agriculture carbon credits from the $1.2 million payments have already received purchase commitments from carbon buyers.

“Anew’s Agri-carbon solutions for partners such as Locus AG are designed to create and sustain value by maximizing incentives and returns to the growers, such that as many as possible join the program, adopt regenerative practices, and stay in it for the long term,” stated Jamie MacKinnon, Anew Agri-carbon senior vice president. “Growers enrolling in the CarbonNOW program are telling us they find the hands-on support, upfront per-acre payments, and upside potential from performance payments to be compelling incentives.”

The CarbonNOW carbon farming program was recently expanded to 1.32 million U.S. agriculture acres. Growing interest from farmers and carbon credit buyers is leading to additional plans for further reach. For more information on how to participate, visit LocusAG.com/CarbonNOW. Interested buyers may connect with sales@anewclimate.com to learn more.

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About Locus Agricultural Solutions^®
Locus Agricultural Solutions^® (Locus AG) is an agtech, certified B Corp™ and innovator member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development that is helping to solve the interrelated challenges of climate change and food security. Its innovative microbial soil health probiotic technologies and globally recognized CarbonNOW^® carbon farming program give farmers a new way to boost yields, profit and accelerate carbon sequestration while reducing operating costs and environmental impact. Locus AG gets its core scientific capabilities from its parent company, Locus Fermentation Solutions (Locus FS), an Ohio-based green technology company. For more information, visit LocusAG.com.

About Anew Climate, LLC
Anew Climate, LLC (“Anew”) is accelerating the fight against climate change by enabling any company or organization to align its goals for conservation and impact with actionable next steps. With a comprehensive solutions portfolio that includes advisory services, carbon credits, renewable natural gas, renewable energy credits, EV credits, plastic credits, and emission reduction credits, we lower barriers to participation in environmental markets for clients across the private and public sectors. As the leading marketer and originator of carbon and environmental credits in North America, we bring together strategic finance, regulatory expertise, scientific knowledge, and impact focus to make it possible for businesses to thrive while building a sustainable future. Anew emerged from the February 2022 combination of durational industry leaders Element Markets, LLC and Bluesource, LLC. The company has offices in the U.S., Canada and Europe, and an environmental commodities portfolio that extends across five continents.

About Green Star Royalties Ltd.
Green Star Royalties Ltd. is a pure-green subsidiary of Star Royalties Ltd. (TSXV: STRR, OTCQX: STRFF). It was launched to create sustainable environmental solutions for a carbon neutral economy by funding premium, North American nature-based carbon offset projects and other cleantech investments. Green Star Royalties is proud to have established best-in-class partnerships in order to pursue a pipeline of cash flowing and near-cash flowing opportunities in both the compliance and voluntary carbon markets. READ MORE

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