Whether you believe in “Climate Change” or not, there may be opportunities for livestock producers to take advantage of some of the programs being offered to help reduce carbon emissions.
Mike Estadt, was a colleague of mine from Ohio. He is presently an Extension Educator with Ohio State University Extension and the author of the following article.
Open any farm publication, and one is likely to see articles related to carbon markets.
There are several active companies in the agricultural sector recruiting farmers and landowners to enroll into a carbon credit programs.
This proliferation of markets has been due to several factors, but in part it is largely due to the increasing amount of attention by world governments and corporations related to the magnitude of climate change impacts attributed to atmospheric greenhouse gases.
The purpose of this article is to briefly explain why these markets exist, what opportunities grazers and livestock producers may want to give future consideration to and provide you with some additional information that may help one make an informed decision.
A key point to be made is that these are voluntary carbon programs, and each farm and ranch is unique as to how it may use a grazing management system or other conservation programs to be eligible for these carbon markets.
Agricultural land owners are being recruited by companies to offset carbon emissions associated with the burning of fossil fuels. Grasslands and trees use the exchange of carbon dioxide in the process of photosynthesis to provide us food, fiber, and energy.
How farmers and grazers manage these exchanges will potentially affect the amount of carbon stored in the soil and the amount of greenhouse gases that remain in the atmosphere.
Will carbon offsets solve the climate problem?
There is much debate over this question. An offset allows the buyer of the credit to continue to emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by investing in a project that reduces emissions somewhere else.
The most common offset is the planting of trees that absorb CO2 as they grow. Multitudes of environmental groups and scientists argue that offsets without the substantial reductions of CO2 emissions will not result in a reduction of greenhouse gases quickly enough to prevent irreversible effects of climate change associated with a warmer atmosphere.
Am I eligible?
Check geographic scope, eligibility of landholding type (including federal lease permit holders),
Ecosystems Service Market
A national ecosystem services market program that pays farmers and ranchers for quantified, verified, certified, and outcomes-based soil carbon, net greenhouse gases, water quality and water conservation credits generated from regenerative agricultural practices. ESMC is a non-profit, member-based organization and a combination of public and private companies and organizations.
Grassroots Carbon
Serves an intermediary between carbon credit buyers and ranchers that adopt regenerative grazing practices that increases the likelihood of increasing soil carbon.
Grassroots provides technical assistance to the farmers and ranchers enrolled in their program.
Soil and Water
Outcomes Fund
The Soil and Water Outcomes Fund provides financial incentives directly to farmers who transition to on-farm conservation practices that yield positive environmental outcomes like carbon sequestration and water quality improvement.
SWOF provides new market opportunities and revenue streams for farmers by selling these environmental outcomes to public and private beneficiaries to meet regulatory and voluntary sustainability goals, such as Scope 3 greenhouse gas emission insets.
The limited space available here does not allow for detailed explanation of the complexity of these markets as to what qualifies, how sequestered carbon is verified, length and terms of contracts, and how payment is made.
It is also advised that before entering into a contract that a producer have an attorney review it.
and minimum acreage to participate. Markets reviewed for this report were all applicable to grazing management systems, generally available in the US, open to rented/leased land as well as owned land, and did not require minimum acreage.
Companies that are actively engaged in carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas reduction projects are numerous. In the agricultural sector there are many.
Companies that focus on grazing management specifically are fewer in number.
Most companies focused on grazing and livestock systems are currently in pilot programs. A limited number of projects are active and may not be available in all geographical areas.
Sources:
Voluntary Carbon Markets Applicable to Grazing Operations Review and Considerations for Farmers and Ranchers, Lora Wright, MSc Eric Harris, PhD, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) August 2021
Carbon . . . a new source of income for grazers? Mike Estadt, OSU Extension Educator,