The talk about carbon credits is heating up. Yesterday, Brent Barnett talked a little about what they were. Now the question is, how will Iowa farmers be able to make these credits work for them? One Iowa Organization is already working on those answers.
Adam Kiel is with the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund, which is a part of the Iowa Soybean Association. He gave me a crash course in Iowa Carbon Credits: 101. They were set up to start working on carbon credits and help Iowa farmers figure out what they need to be doing to take advantage. Kiel says the number one question he gets is what are carbon credits and how do we make it work? He says their benefits are two-fold.
There are multiple programs out there for farmers in different parts of the state. Kiel encourages farmers to research what options are available and what could work best for them. The SWOF works with 25 counties in central, eastern, and southeastern Iowa. Kiel explains their program requirements.
Kiel says they have enrolled an estimated 65,000 acres into the program, and 95% of those are cover crop acres and reductions in tillage and fertilizer use.
The program is not basing the payments on practices. They pay for the ?outcomes generated.? This includes not just carbon, but also water quality improvements. Kiel explains how they rate these ?outcomes.?
Kiel says the other concern he hears is how can farmers make these efforts worth their efforts. He says that really comes down to how much effort the producers are willing to put in. As the program grows, it will be much easier to calculate the values and see more opportunities for higher returns on investment, but as the program is in its beginning stages, they are focused on covering costs and getting farmers enrolled in the program.
For more information on the Soil and Water outcomes Fund, log on to their website.
