Farm sales

Cover-cropping may result in a financial windfall for some farmers as a result of carbon credits

Cover crops are beneficial to the environment and, owing to carbon credits, make farmers money in the off-season. Experts argue that covering farmland with crops year-round rather than letting it run naked in the winter might reduce emissions and help the agricultural economy. Farmers have long acknowledged the benefits of cultivating off-season crops to prevent erosion and enrich the soil.

The Biden administration supports government and commercial programs that promote carbon-storage practices for two reasons: to combat climate change and enhance the rural economy.

More Financial aid needed

Many advocates argue that more significant financial incentives are needed to encourage farmers to modify their working methods. According to Tarquin Nemec farmers may get financial help from GreenDayOnline.

The most significant benefit for Johns, a third-generation farmer, is healthier crops and higher yields thanks to the minerals packed into his soil through cover-cropping and gentle tilling. He also reduces nitrous oxide emissions by fertilizing more efficiently.

“I want to improve our farm for the fourth generation,” stated Johns.

Cover crops are beneficial to the environment and, owing to carbon credits, make farmers money in the off-season.

Experts argue that covering farmland with crops year-round rather than letting it run naked in the winter might reduce emissions and help the agricultural economy. Farmers have long acknowledged the benefits of cultivating off-season crops to prevent erosion and enrich the soil.

The Biden administration supports government and commercial programs that promote carbon-storage practices for two reasons: to combat climate change and enhance the rural economy.

Mike Carter, an Ohio farmer, is employed by Better Agriculture, which compensates him and other businesses for storing carbon in the soil rather than releasing it into the environment. 

Carter plants cereal rye, and rapeseed on his fields in the late fall and winter and corn, wheat, and soybeans in the spring, summer, and much of the fall.

Reaping the financial benefits

Mike Carter, an Ohio farmer, is employed by Better Agriculture, which compensates him and other businesses for storing carbon in the soil rather than releasing it into the environment. 

Carter plants cereal rye, and rapeseed on his fields in the late fall and winter and corn, wheat, and soybeans in the spring, summer, and much of the fall.

Carter had been producing cover crops for several years to increase his cash crops when he signed a deal with Better Agriculture for carbon storage on his property that might pay him $175,000 over five years.

“You’re feeding the bacteria in the soil and it’s a lot healthier if you can get something green on the ground year-round,” Carter told the Associated Press. 

“And if someone offers you money to do it, it seemed to me that you’d be silly not to.”

According to the Associated Press, Carter and Patrick Johns, who runs a farm in Carlisle, Indiana, use minimum tillage tactics to cover crops to improve output and carbon storage. 

Reduced tilling allows plant roots to remain in the ground, slowing the release of carbon as they decay.

Contributing to a clean environment

Agriculture accounts for around 10% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, making it a substantial contributor to climate change. However, because plants use carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, farming has the power to remove it from the atmosphere.

According to the National Academy of Sciences, farmlands could absorb 276 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year, offsetting 5% of US carbon emissions.

While farmers like Carter and Johns work with private companies to get carbon credits, politicians and farmers brainstorm ways the government can assist. According to Montana Public Radio, the USDA could manage a carbon bank where farmers may sell carbon credits to other businesses looking to offset their emissions.

Biden has directed the Department of Agriculture to make the United States’ farm industry the first to reach net-zero emissions by establishing cover-cropping and no-till or reduced-till farming industry standards.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has increased funding for the Conservation Reserve Program and promised higher compensation for farmers that uproot crops and replace them with carbon-absorbing grasses, trees, and wetlands.

Bumper deal

Carter had been producing cover crops for several years to increase his cash crops when he signed a deal with Better Agriculture for carbon storage on his property that might pay him $175,000 over five years.

“You’re feeding the bacteria in the soil and it’s a lot healthier if you can get something green on the ground year-round,” Carter told the Associated Press. 

“And if someone offers you money to do it, it seemed to me that you’d be silly not to.”

According to the Associated Press, Carter and Patrick Johns, who runs a farm in Carlisle, Indiana, use minimum tillage tactics to cover crops to improve output and carbon storage. 

Reduced tilling allows plant roots to remain in the ground, slowing the release of carbon as they decay.

Agriculture accounts for around 10% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, making it a substantial contributor to climate change. However, because plants use carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, farming has the power to remove it from the atmosphere.

According to the National Academy of Sciences, farmlands could absorb 276 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year, offsetting 5% of US carbon emissions.

While farmers like Carter and Johns work with private companies to get carbon credits, politicians and farmers brainstorm ways the government can assist. 

According to Montana Public Radio, the USDA could manage a carbon bank where farmers may sell carbon credits to other businesses looking to offset their emissions.

Biden has directed the Department of Agriculture to make the United States’ farm industry the first to reach net-zero emissions by establishing cover-cropping and no-till or reduced-till farming industry standards.

Increased funding

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has increased funding for the Conservation Reserve Program and promised higher compensation for farmers that uproot crops and replace them with carbon-absorbing grasses, trees, and wetlands.

However, the most significant benefit for Johns, a third-generation farmer, is healthier crops and higher yields thanks to the minerals packed into his soil through cover-cropping and gentle tilling. He also reduces nitrous oxide emissions by fertilizing more efficiently.