It’s really interesting to watch how agriculture and how farmers come in and out of the spotlight when it comes to political discussions and overall media interest. Today, we see farmers at the heart of the discussion when it comes to the new administration and their focus on climate and implementing regenerative ag systems at scale. For farmers, data has always been important to as a way to make decisions and continue to improve our operations. However, that data is really what these organizations, companies, government entities and the consumer are really after. They want to see the data that shows an impact. Your on-farm data is starting to become more valuable than ever.
At Continuum Ag, we want to help you to protect and monetize your data. From the beginning, we want to monetize soil health data by helping you to improve your fertility management and drive short term return on investment. Our bread and butter has been to manage inputs better and drive continuous yield gains that lead to overall profitability year over year. Well, now farmers have the ability to navigate these carbon markets, team up with companies they feel comfortable with to invest back in their operation, and supply their carbon credits generated into the supply chain. This is a long term commitment, five to 10 years at least. And really, you’re promising to hold that carbon in the soil for 100 years.
All of these carbon markets have really developed over the last couple years. It all boils down to moving the needle on three categories: improving fertility management (especially around nitrogen), reducing your tillage (whether that be to no-till or strip-till) and adding cover crops into the operation. The further you can move the needle on these three components, the more your farm can get paid. All of these carbon markets are targeting farmers who are new to adopting these practices, especially cover crops.
We’re working diligently to try to make sure that the farmers that have been using cover crops get compensated adequately since they are already sequestering tons of carbon every year. However, if you’re a farmer who is new to cover crops, we really need to talk to you.
One of the markets that we want to highlight today is the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund, sponsored in part by the Iowa Soybean Association. This program is mostly aimed at Iowa farmers only, and there’s a select number of counties that can enroll in this program. The Outcomes Fund is helping farmers to monetize both carbon and water benefits resulting in a higher payment to farmers (between $25-40/ac). For the Outcomes Fund program, you can enroll today by logging onto TopSoil, and filling out the farm management survey, entering your field data and then a Continuum Ag representative will help you to navigate the rest of the enrollment process.
Here are the select counties eligible for the 2021 program.
We really want to make this easy and help you to utilize your data and quantify soil health, but also participate in these programs at a simple click of a button. By entering your data into TopSoil, we ensure that we protect that information and make it simple for you so you don’t have to enter your data multiple times, taking even more time and causing more frustration for everybody involved. If you’re interested in enrolling in the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund hit us up today. There is the ability to make a pretty solid return per acre and you get paid half of your estimated carbon removal up front, generating quick dollars in your pocket. This payment is then available to invest into making changes during this 2021 growing season.
For more information, you can sign up today at TopSoil.ag, and a Continuum Ag representative will reach out to you to discuss whether or not the Outcomes Fund or other carbon initiatives are right for you.
