The agricultural carbon market is growing, and farmers can learn why and what it means for them during a free educational webinar Wednesday. The Carbon Farming Connection Wednesday June 23, 2021 from 10am-noon Eastern time should help farmers learn what to expect and how to prepare to take advantage of the opportunities carbon markets offer.
Ryan Stockwell, Partner & Grower Advocacy at Indigo Ag and a Wisconsin farmer says they’ll focus on basic but crucial questions for understanding carbon markets, including carbon credits generated on the farm.
“Who’s buying these credits, what are they looking for, and why are they buying them? We’re going to dive into that and get that question answered,” Stockwell said. “We’ve got a number of experts from some of those buyers from companies such as New Belgium Brewery, Barclays and Maple Leaf Foods, and they’re going to explain to us what it is that they’re looking for and why this isn’t just a simple, onetime thing for them. This is a fundamental shift in their business model that goes back to understanding their consumers and the demands being placed upon them.”
What defines quality in a carbon market will also be covered.
“We’re all comfortable and familiar with the considerations when it comes to corn and soybeans, and we’ve all experienced those dockages at the elevator, but really that same application applies here,” Stockwell explained. “Quality makes a difference in the marketplace. And we fully believe that if we prepare American growers to fulfill that quality component that they will do really well accomplishing that goal. In order to do that, we need to let everybody know what defines that quality within a carbon credit.”
As Stockwell explains, many farmers are already employing practices that will produce ag carbon credits, giving them a chance at additional revenue.
“What these markets are really looking for is for agriculture to play a significant role in sequestering more carbon into the soil. So, these practices from reducing tillage to adding cover crops to diversifying the crop rotation all help accomplish that goal. So, anytime that we can get more growers doing that, that is satisfying the demands of the market and is generating carbon credits to accomplish that big goal.”
Learn more and register for Wednesday’s free webinar at https://www.indigoag.com/events.
Ryan Stockwell serves as the Sr. Manager, Partner & Grower Advocacy. Previously, he served as the Director of Sustainable Agriculture for the National Wildlife Federation. In that role, he led the cover crops program, including policy development in the Farm Bill, research coordination, and farmer champion communication training. He also worked on strategies to communicate regenerative agriculture to farmers in ways that best meet their decision-making methodologies. In his spare time he farms near Medford, Wisconsin, using regenerative practices.
