Farm Director, KC Sheperd, had the chance to visit with the Chief Sustainability Officer at the National Pork Board, Jamie Burr. Sheperd talks with Burr about how ag producers can earn money from selling carbon credits.
Burr describes carbon credits as another commodity that a producer can develop and be compensated for or a practice that reduces or sequesters carbon.
One example, Burr said, would be changing from conventional tillage to reduced tillage that cuts down on the amount of carbon that escapes the soil. The carbon saved, Burr said, can generate a carbon credit.
“The largest opportunity is that there are a lot of CPGs (Consumer Packaged Goods) that have set some climate goals, and in a lot of cases, to obtain those climate goals, they are going to have to purchase a carbon credit,” Burr said.
When the time is right for a producer, Burr said, they have the opportunity to sell carbon as a commodity to help a CPG meet a climate goal in the future.
As Environmental and Social Governance (ESG) has begun to have impacts on the supply chain, Burr said, these trends are linked more to consumer preferences.
“They want to know that a commodity or an organization has set a goal, and that they have a plan in place to obtain that goal,” Burr said. “It is really about that consumer sentiment and helping CPGs meet some of their climate goals.”
While there are many ways to become involved in selling carbon credits, Burr presented an example from a pork producer’s perspective.
“The first thing they can do is go to the Pork Cares website, and there they can sign up for an on-farm report,” Burr said. “That on-farm report will help them develop a baseline of what their current emissions are, and then through the Checkoff, we are funding those reports and that data.”
When it comes to carbon credits, Burr said it is important for producers to know that there are many different options available and to review those options to find one that fits best for their operation.
“Really look at that contract to make sure there is some flexibility to it,” Burr said. “We have a biological system that depends upon the weather. If we can’t implement a practice because of weather, we need to make sure there is a flexible way to manage that.”
To visit the Pork Cares website and learn more, CLICK HERE.
