Embedded Files
Explore COMET-Farm for Carbon Farm Planning
Explore COMET-Farm for Carbon Farm Planning
As a more detailed, field specific analysis of conservation scenarios, COMET-Farm requires more time and data entry to evaluate potential carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emission reductions from adopting conservation practices. Similar to COMET-Planner, it is a good idea to begin building conservation scenarios using COMET-Farm after the landscape has been adequately surveyed both in the field and through available mapping tools. If you have not reviewed the sections on Reading the Landscape and Mapping Tools, we would recommend returning to these pages before proceeding to the planning process with the COMET-Tools.
A tutorial on how to use COMET-Farm, specifically looking at the hypothetical Carbon Farm Plan for the Allee Demonstration Farm is provided below in video, slideshow, and pdf versions. A simpler tutorial of the original COMET-Farm demonstration projects is also available, including: Cropland, Animal Agriculture, Agroforestry, and Forestry. An updated pdf version of these are included on the COMET help tools page.
Updates to the COMET-Farm interface will occur in Fall 2023.
Basic COMET-Farm Navigation
PDF VersionBasic COMET-Farm Navigation
Creating an Account for COMET-Farm
PDF VersionCreating an Account for COMET-Farm
Using COMET-Farm Steps
Using COMET-Farm Steps
The dropdown menus below separate sections of COMET-Farm. Watch each video, then complete the “Check your knowledge!” section. There is a “Check your knowledge!” point after each video.
COMET-Farm Step 1:
COMET-Farm Step 1:
Creating project, select accounting activities, and define cropland parcels
Creating project, select accounting activities, and define cropland parcels
This video does NOT include defining all parcels in the Allee Demonstration Carbon Farm Plan. You can access an image of all parcels HERE.
❓Check your knowledge!
❓Check your knowledge!
While users can access any and all features of COMET-Farm without creating an account, project information will only be saved for a user to refer back to at a later time if a free account is created. For the following questions, you may navigate toy our own account, or continue without registering on COMET-Farm.
If a user wanted to create a COMET-Farm project to assess emission reductions or carbon sequestered associated with grazing of cover crops and enteric emissions of their cattle, identify the accounting activity/activities they would need to select:
A. Cropland, Pasture, Range, Orchard/Vineyards
B. Animal Agriculture
C. Agroforestry
D. Forestry
If the producer or planner does not have a shapefile of the pivot field (Point 1 on the image) they would like to assess in COMET-Farm, identify the best way to define this parcel/field.
A. Adding Parcel by Polygon- Technically, you can add a parcel or define a field by creating a polygon, however there may be a better option for a circular field. With adding a parcel by polygon, you would need to create sever small, connecting line segments around the circumference of your field. It's possible, but we are sure there is a better way to spend your time!
B. Add Parcel by Circle - Unless you have an ESRI shapefile of your defined field or parcel, this would be your best option for drawing the circumference of this circular field! Simply, click add parcel by circle, then click the center of your field, and drag to the outer edge of the field, and release the mouse.
C. ESRI Shape File Upload- If you, or someone else, has already defined the field in a mapping application, you are able to upload that file to COMET-Farm! This file should end in .shp and contain all of the components of a shapefile (don't forget that .dbf file!). If you choose to upload a file, be sure to check out the help video and documentation in the Need Help? widget of COMET-Farm to ensure you use the correct identifier.
If you do not have a shape file created already, there might be a better option for defining your circular field!
COMET-Farm Step 2:
COMET-Farm Step 2:
Entering baseline management practices, and demonstrating drag and drop crop rotation and copy feature
Entering baseline management practices, and demonstrating drag and drop crop rotation and copy feature
❓Check your knowledge!
❓Check your knowledge!
If this producer has two fields with identical historic management, I could use the _____ to minimize data entry load.
A. Copy feature
B. Set baseline
C. Next button
True/False: I need to fill out the entire baseline in COMET-Farm before proceeding to the scenario management.
Identify all of the following ways I can add crops to my baseline (select the 3 answers that apply)
A. Drag & Drop Crop Rotation
B. Crop dropdown menu for each year
C. Upload crop and management from an external data file
D. Crop dropdown menu for one year, then copy crop management to another year
A user can add multiple crops to the same calendar year on COMET-farm if…. (select the 3 answers that apply)
A. There are no more than 5 crops per year
B. There are no more than 3 crops per year
C. The crop planting, harvest, and tillage dates overlap
D. The crop planting, harvest, and tillage dates do not overlap
E. The crop is provided in the “what type of crop” dropdown menu OR drag and drop crop rotation button
COMET-Farm Step 3:
COMET-Farm Step 3:
Entering Future Scenario Management Practices
Entering Future Scenario Management Practices
This video does NOT include defining future management scenario for all parcels in the Allee Demonstration Carbon Farm Plan. You can access an excel document of the COMET-Farm Report that includes all management practices for all parcels.
❓Check your knowledge!
❓Check your knowledge!
Users can have a max [5 / 10/ 15/ unlimited] scenarios to compare to the baseline management. Registered users can have [1 / 5/ 10/ unlimited] projects their account.
COMET-Farm Step 4:
COMET-Farm Step 4:
Animal Agriculture
Animal Agriculture
❓Check your knowledge!
❓Check your knowledge!
Select which of the following two animal ag categories you CANNOT assess in COMET-Farm (this is not an exhaustive list).
A. Bulls
B. Goats
C. Horses
D. Prairie Dogs
E. Feedlot cattle
F. Feeder Sheep
G. Gestating Sows
If a producer would like to assess emissions associated with the management of their dairy-dry cows, and the cows are housed and the manure is managed the same, but some receive feed type A and the rest feed type B, users would need to define different [herds / animal ag categories] to properly assess.
COMET-Farm Step 5:
COMET-Farm Step 5:
Agroforestry Component
Agroforestry Component
❓Check your knowledge!
❓Check your knowledge!
True/False: Every agroforestry practice is available as a "defined scenario" in the COMET-Farm Agroforestry accounting activity.
Allee Demonstration Carbon Farm Plan COMET-Farm Report
Allee Demonstration Carbon Farm Plan COMET-Farm Report
Depending on the complexity of your project, generating a report in COMET-Farm can take a few seconds to a few minutes. The COMET-Farm offers a tabular or graphical report that can be included in the tables section of your Carbon Farm Plan after the original plan is completed. The slide deck below discusses how to interpret your COMET-Farm Report.
Below is the export file of the sample Allee Demonstration Carbon Farm Plan created in the videos above. The first tab provides the downloaded crop report averages, which are the same values presented in the COMET interface. There is a snip of the “strip crop” field report from the interface to the right of the values for comparison. The second tab includes all historic, baseline, and future management, and corresponding emissions/sequestrations. The third and fourth tabs include the tabular and graphical report, respectively, for the agroforestry and animal agriculture components of this COMET-Farm report.
Return to
Discussion board: If you have any questions throughout Module 2, please use the discussion board below to post.
Continue to
Case Studies
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse