Embedded Files
Carbon Farming on Your Farm
Carbon Farming on Your Farm
All farming is inherently "carbon" farming due to agriculture's reliance on plants' ability to transform atmospheric carbon dioxide into agricultural products through photosynthesis. As the keystone of biogeochemical and physical processes within an agroecosystem, carbon and carbon capture serves as the guiding principle of the Carbon Farm Planning process. Placing carbon at the core of a farm plan ensures that resource concerns are addressed and carbon capture opportunities are identified to promote improved soil health, productivity, and climate resilience within the farm system.
You are not alone with Carbon Farm Planning!
You are not alone with Carbon Farm Planning!
Carbon Farm Planning is a collaborative effort between the producer and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) or Conservation District Technical Service Providers (TSP), under the guidance of a trained carbon farm planner. A Carbon Farm Plan is a living, dynamic document that is adapted to the producer's objectives and operation. In California, the Carbon Cycle Institute has partnered with California conservation districts and the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts to build a Carbon Farming Network to advance carbon farming and increase working land productivity and resilience through improved soil health to mitigate climate change. While building a carbon farming network may take time, building a collaborative carbon farm planning network can be a powerful tool to support advancement of regional carbon farming programs.
Explore who is involved in the carbon farm planning process below:
Explore who is involved in the carbon farm planning process below:
Producer
Producer
As the producer involved in the carbon farm planning process, the entire planning and implementation process revolves around viewing your operation through a carbon lens. It is critical to clearly communicate short and long-term goals for your operation to the planners and understand that a finished plan is not the end goal of the carbon farm planning process, but a step. Rather, the goal is to advance your understanding of the importance of carbon and carbon management for your operation and support your engagement with the carbon cycle through the implementation of conservation practices that support your farming goals. It is expected that your plan will change over time as you advance your understanding and as new resources and tools emerge to support your carbon farm planning and implementation efforts.
Lead Planner
Lead Planner
The lead planner brings together the puzzle pieces above to facilitate the producer's goals by planning through a carbon lens. You will be tasked with the following:
Working with the producer to evaluate existing environmental conditions and identify carbon capture opportunities on the farm
Collaborate with local conservation district(s) to identify regionally appropriate initiatives, conservation practices, and potential funding sources.
Evaluate potential conservation scenarios using COMET-Farm and/or COMET-Planner- the official USDA greenhouse gas accounting tools and/or other sources of local data when available.
For more on lead planner tasks in the carbon farm planning process, continue to Module 2
Supporting Entities
Supporting Entities
Build your own Carbon Farming Network through collaboration with the following entities:
Local NRCS Field Office
Local Soil and Water Conservation Districts
COMET-Farm Team
Experienced Carbon Farm Planners
Producers with Carbon Farm Plans
Local University Cooperative Extension Office
Conservation organizations, land trusts etc.
Every farm operation varies by climate and soil types, management history, and current management practices; therefore, conservation and supporting practices implemented through the carbon farm planning process will also vary between farm operations. Enhancing soil carbon content to improve soil health, however, is a universal concept. Benefits of increasing soil organic carbon content go beyond soil health to include improved productivity and potential economic gains. While the following case studies have not taken the Carbon Farm Planning approach outlined in this curriculum, they have implemented conservation practices commonly included in Carbon Farm Plans, with positive environmental and economic outcomes.
Operation Size: 2,600 Acres
Crop rotation: Corn-Soybean
Soil type: Silty clay; clay and silt loam
Goal: Reduce inputs without decreasing yields
Conservation practices implemented:
Cover crops
Strip & no-till
Nutrient management
Benefits: The conservation practices were implemented over a five year period and the producer observed a yield increase in the original crop rotation, lower machinery cost, net income increase, and an estimated 192% reductions in GHG emissions (using COMET-Farm).
Operation size: 540 acres of cropland; 600 acres of pasture
Goal: Use cover crops between corn rotation to integrate grazing, reduce feed cost, and improve soil health.
Current Practices: Corn planted via no-till
Conservation Practices Implemented:
Cover crop mix
Livestock integration
Outcomes: Short term- the farmer has not experienced noticeable yield increases, but has not observed any negative impacts from livestock integration. Long term- the farmer expects to experience soil health improvements through increased soil organic matter, increases in available nitrogen, and improvements to soil water holding capacity, increasing drought resilience.
It is important to note that costs and benefits can vary greatly between operations, as different resources are available in different conservation districts. Additionally, some conservation practices that have direct soil health benefits also require implementation of supporting practices, such as the livestock control fencing deployed in this operation.
Carbon Farming Success Stories
Carbon Farming Success Stories
Climate Beneficial Fiber
Climate Beneficial Fiber
FibershedTM has worked to build a community of independent producers to pursue their founding goal of illuminating regionally grown fibers and other resources needed to provide clothing designed to fully account for a garment's life-cycle in a "Soil to Soil" framework. They have worked to enhance the strength of regional economies through empowering independent producers by expanding opportunities to implement carbon farming as a way to build soil carbon stocks to mitigate climate change.
[Fibershed Podcast] Soil to Soil ep. 3: How do we measure the climate impact of carbon farming practices? with Dr. Keith Paustian
Photos by Paige Green, Fibershed
“CCI and FibershedTM have been in collaboration since our founding, working together to develop a Climate BeneficialTM program for farms and ranches looking to develop increased resilience to drought, new direct markets tethered to ecosystem benefits, and methods to increase productivity naturally. The Climate BeneficiaTMl program focuses upon a grower working with a technical service provider to develop a Carbon Farm Plan and committing to continue to implement their plan on an annual basis. With these commitments and actions in place, FibershedTM works with the growers to establish new local and domestic climate-focused markets for their raw materials. We’ve seen growth in the program, and even with the economic constraints of Covid-19, we have established a new Climate BeneficialTM Wool pool for the largest scale fine wool ranchers in our state [California] in 2020, and have seen the marketplace rally with interest to this level of organization that provides high quality raw materials with a clear and scientifically measured green house gas ‘drawdown’ signature.”
Check your knowledge!
Match the following team role to the description below:
Lead Carbon Farm Planner
Farmer/Rancher/Producer
NRCS Technical Service Provider
COMET-Tools
Conservation districts
Experienced carbon farm planners
a. Owner and/or manager of the working land in which the carbon farm plan is based. This individual should have in-depth knowledge of the ecosystem and can convey goals and objectives of the carbon farm plan.
b. Individual who works with producer and other entities to develop a carbon farm plan that best meets the needs and goals of the producer
c. The official USDA-NRCS greenhouse gas estimation/quantification tools that can be used to assess the carbon benefits of most carbon farming practices
d. Conservation technical experts that offer “services to agricultural producers such as farmers, ranchers, and private forest owners on behalf of the NRCS”
e. Individuals or groups who can serve as a network of support in generating ideas for opportunities of carbon capture or to reference existing plans in the development of new plans
f. A hub for conservation designed to connect communities and individuals to technical, financial, and education resources within a district
2. [True/False] : Economic benefits are the first priority of carbon farm planning.
Discussion board: If you have any questions throughout Module 1, please use the discussion board to below to post.
Continue to
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse