Breaking Even on Biochar - Expanding Biochar Adoption in Nebraska

By Britt Fossum and Guillermo Balboa et.at

Key Takeaways

• Early soil benefits: Biochar produced from locally harvested redcedar had rapid (less than 6 months) positive impacts on soil health, including an increase in soil carbon content and nitrate retention. However, further data are needed to evaluate the economic feasibility of this practice.
• Larger-scale application: At a lower application rate (8 tons/acre) and larger (16-acre) field experiment, wood-based biochar increased soil carbon and retention of nitrate and phosphate within the first 12 months of amendment. High-efficiency biochar application was accomplished with standard equipment used for other organic amendments (manure spreader and disc).
• On-farm research:  On-farm trials are helping researchers evaluate biochar under local conditions. A research network established in 2025 is testing biochar effects on soil at different fertilizer rates at four on-farm experiments to determine whether biochar can improve nitrogen use in Nebraska corn-soybean systems.
• Growing the Biochar Network: Starting in 2026, rancher-farmer partnerships will begin local production of biochar from eastern redcedar, with up to 10 such partnerships added to the network by 2027. Ranchers joining the network will receive assistance with redcedar removal while helping evaluate the costs and benefits of producing biochar from the removed wood. Farmers joining the network will apply locally produced redcedar biochar to determine impacts on crop yield and soil health across a range of site locations and conditions.

Why Biochar?

Practices that reduce nutrient losses, build soil organic carbon and improve water-holding capacity can help sustain crop productivity and reduce input costs. Biochar has emerged as one promising soil amendment that may provide some of these benefits. However, Nebraska currently lacks a biochar production industry and, although commercially available biochar prices have decreased over time, costs can still exceed $1,000 per ton (Trapero et al. 2025).