According to the latest Ag Economy Barometer from Purdue University's Center for Commercial Agriculture, very few farmers are currently engaged in carbon contracts and of the ones who are, most of them say the payments aren't high enough.

An increasing awareness and concern about the environment, changes in government policy, America’s re-entry into the Paris Agreement and a robust demand for carbon offsets all point toward an appetite for a different type of agricultural crop – carbon. Read more in this article from Texas A&M University Extension.

Agricultural carbon markets exist through privately and publicly owned companies with aim to reduce carbon emissions through trade of carbon units sequestered at the farm level. The sale of carbon credits presents an opportunity for farmers to receive financial benefits from changing to more environmentally beneficial agricultural practices, although carbon prices may not currently be high enough to cover the cost of switching practices. Read more in this article from Wisconsin State Farmer.

Corteva Agriscience announced it has created a carbon and ecosystems services portfolio to help farmers sell carbon credits. The introductory launch of Corteva’s Carbon Initiative will be targeted to row crop farmers in Illinois, Indiana and Iowa this year, with the intent to expand to new geographies and crops for the 2022 growing season. Read more in this article from The Fence Post.

Carbon sequestration contracts for farmland are attempts to restrict usage of land. Historically, restriction on land were put in place by recording easements, mortgages, leases, or deed restrictions.

It seems like almost every month companies of various sizes across many industries are announcing new sustainability commitments, along with sustainability programs and markets that farmers and ranchers can participate in. Advancements in technology and increased capital have provided farmers more opportunities to generate additional revenue from participation in those markets. Read more in this article from Southern Minnesota.

Seeking to combine the return of cattle with capturing the value of cover crops, Rock Creek, Minn., strip-tiller and no-tiller Jon Stevens is grazing cattle on a 30-acre paddock seeded with grasses and cereals with the intention of trying to rotate in corn within 3 years to capture in-field nitrogen.

Starting this spring, global commodities trader Cargill will pay American farmers for capturing carbon in their field soils and cutting fertilizer runoff.