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Sold by the tonne, the carbon offsets are sold, and
ownership is transferred to the buyer—and to ensure it
can’t be resold, the offset is retired and removed from
circulation.
After the sale, Farmers Edge return the profits to the
farm.
Lest you believe that carbon credits will only provide
a few nickels, Barnes said that in 2020, customers saw
an average of $4 to $5 per tonne, but in 2021 have seen
it go as high as $27/tonne.
And again, to show that a farmer isn’t just going
to make a total of $27 because it’s difficult to get
more than one tonne, Barnes shared a case study
with the Conference audience involving a farm in
Saskatchewan with 519 acres of dry prairie and 5,645
acres of parkland.
Between 2018 and 2021, that farm realized an additional
total income of $53,673. Note that the parkland had a
larger acreage and generates more income than the
dry prairie farmland. Regardless, your mileage will vary,
but even so—extra income generated.
Now that the prospect of earning real money is clearer,
how does one generate these carbon offsets?
Many Canadian farmers are probably already doing it—
but Farmers Edge can help you do it better, explained
Barnes.
Farm stewardship—you look after the land and it looks
after you—a mantra farmers practice and preach.
Using precision agriculture, farms must capture
more carbon in the soil—rather than releasing it—via
regenerative land management by implementing:
tillage, direct seeding, crop rotation and diversification,
integrating cover crops or intercropping.
Smart Farming technology will allow a farmer to
optimize how a crop is seeded, fertilized and harvested
to ensure nutrient loss is reduced to lower nitrous
oxide emissions. The more “practices” a farm uses—
particular to your specific farming scenario—the larger
the number of carbon offsets per acre are generated.
However, even though efficient equipment usage,
water management and better use of crop protection
are not qualifiers for carbon offsets, all still help
produce a high-quality, low carbon crop. Oh, and it’s
all better for the environment, while also helping you
generate larger and better-quality yield.
If you are wondering just who or what is purchasing
the ag-generated carbon offsets, Barnes said that
Albert and California are currently the only two North
American areas with regulated ag offsets—but that
there are plenty of companies looking for help.
In the voluntary market, Barnes said that there are
many companies looking for ways to contribute to their
own mandated goals of net-zero efficiency, such as
Amazon, Apple, BP, Google, IBM, McDonalds, Coca-
Cola, Microsoft, Walmart, United Airlines, for example.
Farmers: It’s time to get paid for what you are already
doing.
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FARMERS: IT’S TIME TO GET PAID FOR
WHAT YOU ARE ALREADY DOING.
