{"id":56872,"date":"2024-07-09T01:00:54","date_gmt":"2024-07-09T09:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/?p=56872"},"modified":"2025-04-28T15:03:07","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T22:03:07","slug":"are-companies-using-carbon-markets-to-sell-more-pesticides","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2024\/07\/09\/are-companies-using-carbon-markets-to-sell-more-pesticides\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Companies Using Carbon Markets to Sell More Pesticides?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe id=\"ad-auris-iframe\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; display: none;\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-project-id=\"7DUxg4MzDyLhEIKgrDUD\"><span style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start lazyload\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><script src=\"https:\/\/cdn.jsdelivr.net\/npm\/ad-auris-iframe-distribution-nextgen@latest\/location-href-script.production.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><b data-stringify-type=\"bold\">September 10, 2024 Update:\u00a0<\/b><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">Nori, one of the leading startup carbon market platforms for agriculture, <\/i><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\"><a class=\"c-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.geekwire.com\/2024\/nori-a-seattle-based-carbon-removal-marketplace-that-raised-17m-shuts-down-after-7-years\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"https:\/\/www.geekwire.com\/2024\/nori-a-seattle-based-carbon-removal-marketplace-that-raised-17m-shuts-down-after-7-years\/\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\">shut its doors<\/a><\/i><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">\u00a0on September 9<\/i><b data-stringify-type=\"bold\"><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">.<\/i><\/b><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">\u00a0<\/i><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\"><a class=\"c-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/feed\/update\/urn:li:activity:7234973080819765250\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/feed\/update\/urn:li:activity:7234973080819765250\/\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\">On LinkedIn<\/a><\/i><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">, co-founder Alexsandra Guerra said \u201cthe challenges of a stagnant Voluntary Carbon Market and tough funding environment proved too great.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"post-simple post-capital-letter\"><p> Last summer, two men shouted friendly greetings from golf carts as they zipped around a field-turned-parking lot, fetching farmers at pick-up trucks and dropping them in front of a barn. It was the annual field day at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.themillstores.com\/\">The Mill<\/a>, a popular Mid-Atlantic retailer of agricultural products including seeds, fertilizer, and pesticides. <\/p><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<div class=\"pulled-sidebar pulled-sidebar-right\"><div class=\"pulled-sidebar-title\">Chemical\u00a0Capture: The Power and\u00a0Impact of the Pesticide Industry<\/div><p>Read all the stories in <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/chemical-capture\">our series<\/a>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Overview: <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2024\/03\/27\/chemical-capture-the-power-and-impact-of-the-pesticide-industry\/\">Chemical Capture: The Power and Impact of the Pesticide Industry<\/a><br \/>\nHow the agrichemical industry is shaping public information about the toxicity of pesticides, how they\u2019re being used, and the policies that impact the health of all Americans.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2024\/03\/27\/inside-bayers-state-by-state-efforts-to-stop-pesticide-lawsuits\/\">Inside Bayer\u2019s State-by-State Efforts to Stop Pesticide Lawsuits<\/a><br \/>\nAs the agrichemical giant lays groundwork to fend off Roundup litigation, its use of a playbook for building influence in farm state legislatures has the potential to benefit pesticide companies nationwide.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2024\/07\/09\/are-companies-using-carbon-markets-to-sell-more-pesticides\">Are Companies Using Carbon Markets to Sell More Pesticides?<\/a><br \/>\nMany programs meant to help farmers address climate change are now owned by companies that sell chemicals, which could boost practices that depend on pesticides rather than those that reduce their use.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2024\/10\/30\/why-farmers-use-harmful-insecticides-they-may-not-need\/\">Why Farmers Use Harmful Insecticides They May Not Need<\/a><br \/>\nNeonicotinoids coat nearly all the corn and soybean seeds available for planting. Agrichemical companies have designed it that way.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2024\/12\/18\/why-are-pesticide-companies-fighting-state-laws-to-address-pfas\/\">Why Are Pesticide Companies Fighting State Efforts to Address PFAS?<\/a><br \/>\nIn Maine, Maryland, and beyond, the industry is using a \u2018grassroots\u2019 network of farmers, lobbyists, and other tactics to slow legislators\u2019 attempts to get forever chemicals out of food and water.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>First, the farmers embarked on a wagon tour. One stop showed off a soybean yield trial. At another, a scientist presented research on a new class of nitrogen-fixing inputs. During a demo of a drone spraying a pesticide over rows of corn, the operators laughed as a gentle breeze blew the mist toward the onlookers. \u201cDon\u2019t worry, it\u2019s just water!\u201d they yelled.<\/p>\n<p>Back at the barn, companies that sell their products at The Mill had set up folding tables to talk to farmers and hand out swag. Land O\u2019Lakes, the company known to most Americans only as a longtime purveyor of butter wrapped in bright yellow packaging, had two adjoining tables showcasing two of its more specialized businesses: pesticides and carbon markets.<\/p>\n<p>At those tables, farmers could grab an Advanced Acre Rx hat from WinField United, Land O\u2019Lakes\u2019 seed and chemical company, and a water bottle emblazoned with the logo for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.truterraag.com\/\">Truterra<\/a>, its carbon market platform, in one fell swoop.<\/p>\n<p>The display exemplified how, as <a href=\"https:\/\/issuu.com\/landolakesinc1\/docs\/2022_lol_annual_report?fr=sNTdmZjE0MDMzOTU\">Land O\u2019Lakes\u2019 annual report laid out<\/a> earlier that year, the agricultural giant is marketing enrollment in a climate-smart farming initiative alongside its biggest profit driver: pesticides and seeds.<\/p>\n<p>Land O\u2019Lakes\u2019 Truterra is unique in some ways, but it also fits the mold of what agricultural carbon markets have come to look like across the country over the last few years.<\/p>\n<p>Carbon markets were first created decades ago as a means for companies to offset their greenhouse gas emissions by paying to reduce emissions somewhere else. Think: planting trees that hold carbon in South America to balance emissions from a factory in South Carolina.<\/p>\n<p>And over the last several years, policymakers, environmental and farm groups, and private companies began hyping the idea that specific markets could be created to pay farmers for adopting practices that could reduce emissions and hold carbon in soil. Flashy <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2019\/07\/11\/can-indigo-ags-new-carbon-market-pay-off-for-farmers\/\">startups including Nori and Indigo Ag<\/a> jumped into the game, Democrats <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2020\/09\/21\/in-a-year-of-climate-reckoning-where-does-joe-biden-stand-on-climate-and-agriculture\/\">included the idea<\/a> in their 2020 plan to address the climate crisis, and a bitterly divided Congress passed the Growing Climate Solutions Act on a bipartisan basis in an effort to jump-start the markets.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"post-image-caption align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/240710-chemical-capture-truterra-carbon-markets-pesticides-3-land-o-lakes-annual-report.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/240710-chemical-capture-truterra-carbon-markets-pesticides-3-land-o-lakes-annual-report.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot from Land O' Lakes' 2022 annual report that describes how the company's teams at Truterra and WinField United worked together on soil health and carbon markets.\"><\/a><div class=\"post-caption\"><p>In this screenshot from Land O&#8217;Lakes&#8217; 2022 Annual Report, the company describes how its &#8220;teams at Truterra and WinField United worked together to blaze a trail for farmers to improve their soil health and potentially become eligible for future market opportunities.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<p>As a result, a new era of paying farmers for carbon-holding practices became the talk of many <a href=\"https:\/\/www.feedlotmagazine.com\/news\/industry_news\/texas-ag-forum-to-highlight-carbon-credits-climate-initiatives-in-lubbock\/article_594d58fa-903c-11ec-8c84-039b2f6efa5b.html\">farm conferences<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/assets-global.website-files.com\/62a8e2b0ba9a05b9051f4256\/64399fd509893c8509afd879_2021-SAS-Agenda.pdf\">climate panels<\/a>, where the same points came up over and over. Spreading regenerative practices that build soil carbon across more cropland would produce so many other benefits, advocates said. Farmers would be able to <a href=\"https:\/\/bipartisanpolicy.org\/download\/?file=\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2023-09-13_BPC_Ag_Carbon_transcript.pdf\">hold water and nutrients<\/a> in the soil, reduce pollution, and increase biodiversity. And over time, not only would they access a new source of revenue, regenerative practices would allow farmers to cut costs as <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2020\/09\/24\/are-carbon-markets-for-farmers-worth-the-hype\/\">they decreased the use of chemicals<\/a>\u2014including pesticides and fertilizer\u2014producing yet another environmental win. In 2021, for example, <em>The New York Times<\/em> put that narrative in print <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/11\/23\/business\/dealbook\/farm-carbon-credits.html\">by featuring<\/a> a carbon-market farmer who had stopped tilling, diversified his crops, and planted cover crops, eventually building his soil health enough to completely eliminate the use of synthetic fertilizer.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-quote\"><p>While the highest-profile carbon markets are run by public entities like the state of California, many of the agricultural markets that have made more recent progress are run by powerful companies that are in the business of selling pesticides and fertilizers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>However, while the highest-profile carbon markets are run by public entities like <a href=\"https:\/\/ww2.arb.ca.gov\/our-work\/programs\/cap-and-trade-program\">the state of California<\/a> or New England\u2019s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rggi.org\/\">RGGI<\/a>), many of the agricultural markets that have made more recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bayer.com\/en\/us\/news-stories\/carbon-program-expands-eligibility\">progress<\/a> are run by powerful companies\u2014including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bayer.com\/en\/agriculture\/carbon-program-united-states\">Bayer<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.corteva.us\/products-and-solutions\/digital-solutions\/carbon.html\">Corteva Agriscience<\/a>, and Land O\u2019Lakes\u2014that are in the business of selling those same pesticides and fertilizers.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, even the independent platforms are now working closely with the same companies. Indigo launched a partnership with Corteva in 2021. (Last month, journalists at Bloomberg <a class=\"c-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2024-06-12\/farm-startups-bent-on-shaking-up-cargill-and-adm-are-floundering\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2024-06-12\/farm-startups-bent-on-shaking-up-cargill-and-adm-are-floundering\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\">reported<\/a> that the company and other startups that set out to disrupt bigger, traditional agriculture companies have struggled to connect with farmers on their own.) Meanwhile, close to half of the credits Nori <a href=\"https:\/\/nori.com\/registry\">has paid out to date<\/a> have gone to Bayer\u2019s enrolled farmers. Seventy-five percent of the credits Nori <a href=\"https:\/\/nori.com\/registry\">currently has available<\/a> for buyers are linked to Bayer\u2019s platform.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPartnering with Bayer allowed Nori to scale and accelerate the impact we\u2019re able to make, compared to what we could have accomplished by enrolling individual farmers one by one,\u201d Radhika Moolgavkar, Nori\u2019s VP of supply and methodology, said in an email. \u201cWe believe that to foster large-scale adoption of these practices, programs like Bayer Carbon are required to help with the monetary hurdles to transitioning to regenerative practices.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, others are concerned about the influence pesticide companies are exerting within the growing landscape of paying farmers for carbon, especially as taxpayer money floods in to boost their efforts and farmer field data becomes more and more valuable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom their perspective, these are future clients, or they may be existing clients,\u201d said Ben Lilliston, the director of rural strategies and climate change at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iatp.org\/\">Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.<\/a> \u201cThey\u2019re getting a tremendous amount of data from the farmer-participants. It puts them in a very strong position to help farmers manage whatever they\u2019re dealing with on their farm, beyond climate-related stuff. It\u2019s kind of a win-win: Get a farmer in the program, get the information, and get to sell them seeds or pest control.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-quote\"><p>\u201cIt\u2019s kind of a win-win: Get a farmer in the program, get the information, and get to sell them seeds or pest control.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Bayer, for example, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bayer.com\/sites\/default\/files\/2023-02\/Bayer-Annual-Report-2022.pdf\">has linked its carbon program<\/a> to other data platforms that drive product sales. And while many practices shown to hold the most carbon\u2014like <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2020\/07\/24\/agroforestry-is-both-climate-friendly-and-profitable\/\">agroforestry<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2020\/12\/15\/can-organic-farming-solve-the-climate-crisis\/\">organic systems<\/a>\u2014can reduce or eliminate the need for pesticides over time, companies in the business of selling the chemicals are unlikely to recommend them, <a href=\"https:\/\/foe.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Carbon-Markets-Report_Final_Updated.pdf\">environmental groups say<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, the two practices that dominate current markets\u2014no-till and cover crops\u2014require herbicides to succeed in the way they\u2019re practiced on most commodity farms. Farmers use herbicides to kill weeds that they could otherwise till under and to kill cover crops before planting a cash crop. And <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/environment\/us-bets-climate-friendly-farming-experts-doubt-it-is-climate-friendly-enough-2024-04-11\/\">most soil scientists agree<\/a> that the jury is still out on whether those practices can hold carbon at a depth and for long enough to create meaningful climate outcomes.<\/p>\n<h4>New (Carbon) Markets for Products<\/h4>\n<\/div><div class=\"post-simple post-capital-letter\"><p> When Land O\u2019Lakes launched Truterra in 2016, the company set it up to leverage the power of its network of 60 agricultural retailers, which altogether have about 1,000 locations across the country, said Tom Ryan, Truterra\u2019s former president, in an interview last year. <\/p><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<p>\u201cFarmers place a great deal of trust in their seed dealers,\u201d said Ryan. Those seed dealers, when they recommend products made by companies like Land O\u2019Lakes WinField United, are uniquely suited to also convince farmers to sign on to programs that will pay them to adopt practices with environmental benefits, such as planting cover crops. And recommending the right products at the same time helps the farmers succeed at implementing those practices, he said.<\/p>\n<p>The way Bayer engaged with the stores that sell its inputs was also what caught the attention of Jason Davidson, a food and agriculture campaigner at the environmental advocacy organization Friends of the Earth.<\/p>\n<p>Davidson\u2019s interest was piqued by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.croplife.com\/editorial\/the-fieldview-dilemma\/\">a 2018 column<\/a> published in a trade publication. In the article, journalist Paul Schrimpf wrote about a buzzy topic retailers were discussing at multiple industry events. Schrimpf explained that Monsanto (now owned by Bayer) had started including a data product called Climate FieldView in its rebate bundles, meaning retailers would have to also sell a certain number of FieldView subscriptions alongside seeds and pesticides to get company rebates they had long relied on. Many farmers, he wrote, still didn\u2019t want to pay for the program, and he predicted retailers might consider eating the cost and enrolling them so they wouldn\u2019t lose the rebate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat got us thinking, \u2018Why, in this decade, are pesticide companies all of a sudden super interested in data?\u2019\u201d said Davidson, who later co-authored <a href=\"https:\/\/foe.org\/resources\/ag-carbon-markets-report\/\">a report<\/a> on the topic that was released last year. \u201cI think it&#8217;s pretty safe to argue that Bayer and other pesticide manufacturers were interested in data because they saw it as a way to potentially increase sales.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bayer\u2019s own documents seem to back that argument up. In its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bayer.com\/sites\/default\/files\/2023-02\/Bayer-Annual-Report-2022.pdf\">2022 annual report<\/a>, Bayer said Climate FieldView \u201cenables us to use novel modeling to make custom product recommendations that are precisely tailored to each individual field. With these insights we can maximize the value of our seed and chemistry portfolio, help farmers expand participation in the carbon markets and food, feed, fiber, and fuel value chains, and lead Bayer toward digitally enabled business models and new opportunities for growth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bayer.com\/sites\/default\/files\/2022-02\/Crop%20Science%20R%26D%20Pipeline%20Update%20Webinar_2022-02-16_Presentation.pdf\">another presentation<\/a> that year, the company reported that corn seed customers who used FieldView planted Bayer corn seeds at a higher seeding rate compared to the national average and those who opted for the premium FieldView Plus version generated 5 percent higher sales.<\/p>\n<p>Today, farmers who want to enroll in Bayer\u2019s carbon market have to first enroll in Climate FieldView. In an email, a Bayer spokesperson said its platform collects data that\u2019s needed to calculate carbon sequestration and register carbon credits. \u201cAs with all Climate FieldView digital ag platform initiatives, the grower always owns their own data and controls who they choose to share that data with,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to being the place where farmers input data that will allow them to get paid for carbon, the program recommends planting protocols and offers product discounts. In 2020, Reuters reported that Bayer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/idUSKCN24M2DC\/\">offered farmers the option<\/a> to get paid for their carbon in credits for more Bayer products. When asked if the company still offered that option, the spokesperson said Bayer pays growers in cash, \u201cnever in product credits.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The spokesperson did not specifically answer whether farmers enrolled in its carbon program purchased more Bayer products but said, \u201cWhile Bayer has a broad selection of industry-leading crop protection, seed and seed treatment products, growers are not required to purchase crop protection, seed, or seed treatment products to participate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Last year, the company outlined <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bayer.com\/media\/en-us\/bayer-sees-more-than-doubling-of-accessible-markets-and-potential-to-shape-regenerative-agriculture-on-more-than-400-million-acres\/\">in a press release<\/a> how it planned to \u201ccapitalize on opportunities presented by the shift to regenerative agriculture.\u201d Carbon farming and digital platforms were on a list of market opportunities expected to generate more than $100 billion. \u201cImportantly, by the middle of the next decade, Bayer envisions shaping regenerative agriculture on more than 400 million acres, built on the foundation of its leading agriculture input solutions,\u201d it wrote.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-image-caption align-right\"><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/240710-chemical-capture-truterra-carbon-markets-pesticides-2-bayer-forground-email.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/240710-chemical-capture-truterra-carbon-markets-pesticides-2-bayer-forground-email.jpg\" alt=\"A screenshot of an email sent to Bayer ForGround participants titled \"Tips for Herbicide & Fungicide Applications\" and with the sub-headline of \"top tips and trends in reduced tillage, cover crops and carbon.\"\"><\/a><div class=\"post-caption\"><p>A screenshot of an email sent to Bayer ForGround participants titled &#8220;Tips for Herbicide &#038; Fungicide Applications&#8221; and with the sub-headline of &#8220;top tips and trends in reduced tillage, cover crops and carbon.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>That\u2019s the rub, many environmental advocates and sustainable agriculture experts say: A market truly dedicated to helping farmers move the needle on climate would be grounded in helping farmers reduce fossil fuel-derived inputs over time, thereby reducing resource use, minimizing other environmental impacts, and saving them money.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere&#8217;s a clear conflict of interest if you\u2019re manufacturing a product and then making agronomic recommendations. We are really concerned about the idea that the companies that are manufacturing seeds and pesticides that are used together to make certain products\u2014like <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2021\/02\/02\/beyond-bees-neonics-damage-ecosystems-and-a-push-for-policy-change-is-coming\/\">neonicotinoid seed coatings<\/a>\u2014ubiquitous in industrial agriculture, that they are going to be collecting farm data and then using that data to make specific recommendations on how to farm,\u201d Davidson said. \u201cEven though the companies tout precision agriculture and data broadly as a way to reduce inputs, it&#8217;s really hard to imagine a world in which manufacturers of a product are going to tell their customers to buy and use less of their products.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In response to a question about whether the platforms are used to sell farmers WinField United inputs, a Land O\u2019Lakes spokesperson said that Truterra prohibits the use of farmer data for sales and marketing targeting. \u201cTruterra\u2019s programs focus on making practice changes that are best for the farmer and that means agronomically, economically, and environmentally,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n<h4>Paying Only for Practices That Rely on Pesticides<\/h4>\n<\/div><div class=\"post-simple post-capital-letter\"><p> Despite years of buzz about agricultural carbon markets, it\u2019s hard to find farmers willing to talk about the experience of actually enrolling and participating. <\/p><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<p>\u201cPart of it is just that your average farmer is not going to scream it from the rooftop,\u201d said Aaron Shier, the government relations director at the National Farmers Union (NFU), and some of the markets likely come with confidentiality clauses. Still, Shier said that overall, not many NFU farmers are participating. The Iowa Farmers Union told Civil Eats the same. Both organizations, and other farmers we spoke to, said the main reason is the payments are still too low and unpredictable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not worth my time,\u201d said Josh Manske, who manages commodity grain fields in Iowa and Southern Minnesota. \u201cEverybody\u2019s getting a huge cut, and we\u2019re left with the pennies.\u201d And while Shier said he hadn\u2019t heard any complaints around farmer data being used to lock in input purchasing or exert control over farmers, he said that \u201cdata privacy is very important to our members.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The heavy lift involved in entering data was a big piece of conversations researchers at Hamilton College in upstate New York had with 17 row crop farmers\u2014some conventional farmers participating in the markets and some certified organic farmers who weren\u2019t eligible\u2014in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s44168-023-00055-4\">a paper published last fall<\/a>, they shared major themes from those conversations, one of which centered on the farmers\u2019 concerns around which practices are rewarded.<\/p>\n<p>While the organic farmers were more worried that carbon markets would only support a small group of practices with climate benefits, both groups \u201craised concerns that carbon markets would inadequately support a full range of beneficial soil management practices,\u201d the researchers wrote. \u201cSome of these concerns focused on concerns that markets would incentivize activities that required heavy chemical inputs, which a farmer would have to purchase from a chemical company.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Currently, Bayer, Corteva, and Truterra\u2019s markets all pay farmers primarily to adopt no-till systems and to plant cover crops.<\/p>\n<p>And there is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.no-tillfarmer.com\/articles\/11363-no-tills-herbicide-history-part-i\">a long history<\/a> of companies using those specific practices to market pesticides linked to serious health risks. For example, as far back as the 1970s, Chevron Chemical <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2023\/03\/22\/paraquat-the-deadliest-chemical-in-us-agriculture-goes-on-trial\/\">promoted paraquat<\/a>\u2014an <a href=\"https:\/\/emergency.cdc.gov\/agent\/paraquat\/basics\/facts.asp\">herbicide<\/a> the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <a href=\"https:\/\/emergency.cdc.gov\/agent\/paraquat\/basics\/facts.asp\">calls \u201chighly poisonous\u201d<\/a> that is now <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2023\/03\/22\/paraquat-the-deadliest-chemical-in-us-agriculture-goes-on-trial\/\">linked to Parkinson\u2019s disease risk<\/a> and banned in dozens of countries\u2014as a tool to convert to no-till farming. Farmers still use paraquat as an alternative to tilling for weed control in the U.S., and Syngenta\u2019s website <a href=\"https:\/\/www.syngenta.com\/en\/paraquat-in-the-media\">lists<\/a> the chemical\u2019s use in no-till systems as a key benefit.<\/p>\n<p>For cover crops, <a href=\"https:\/\/crops.extension.iastate.edu\/cropnews\/2014\/04\/terminating-cover-crops\">standard practice<\/a> is to kill the plants with a glyphosate-based herbicide before planting a cash crop like corn or soy. For example, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.corteva.us\/Resources\/inputs-and-insights\/cover-crop-tips.html\">on Corteva\u2019s website<\/a>, the company recommends its herbicide products that mix glyphosate with <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2015\/06\/30\/5-things-to-know-about-24-d-the-possibly-cancer-causing-herbicide\/\">2,4-D<\/a> and lists \u201cDon\u2019t cut herbicide rates\u201d as one key to cover crop success. While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains that glyphosate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/ingredients-used-pesticide-products\/glyphosate\">is unlikely to cause cancer<\/a> in humans, the International Agency for Research on Cancer<a href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/widely-used-herbicide-linked-to-cancer\/\"> classifies it <\/a>as a \u201cprobable carcinogen,\u201d based especially on its potential link to non-Hodgkin\u2019s lymphoma.<\/p>\n<p>CropLife America, the pesticide industry\u2019s trade association, <a href=\"https:\/\/downloads.regulations.gov\/USDA-2021-0010-0326\/attachment_1.pdf\">has dubbed<\/a> no-till and cover crops \u201cpesticide-enabled\u201d farming practices. \u201cPesticides allow for sustainable conservation practices, such as no-till and cover crops, to successfully exist,\u201d it says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.croplifeamerica.org\/sustainability\">on its website.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Organic farmers who have long planted cover crops without chemical pesticides and <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2021\/03\/30\/can-californias-organic-vegetable-farmers-unlock-the-secrets-of-no-till-farming\/\">some of whom practice no-till farming<\/a> with a roller-crimper would disagree. But their practices, which have been shown <a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/334452070_Deep_soil_inventories_reveal_that_impacts_of_cover_crops_and_compost_on_soil_carbon_sequestration_differ_in_surface_and_sub-surface_soils\">to push carbon deeper into the soil<\/a>, where it tends <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2007\/07\/070722162434.htm\">to stay put<\/a> for longer, are typically not represented in\u00a0these markets, which are designed to reward individual improvements to the standard row crop system.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-quote\"><p>CropLife America, the pesticide industry\u2019s trade association, has dubbed no-till and cover crops \u201cpesticide-enabled\u201d farming practices.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>And while <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2020\/02\/11\/two-states-are-leading-a-cover-crop-revival\/\">cover crops<\/a> and no-till practices both deliver multiple proven environmental benefits such as <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2018\/05\/08\/farm-runoff-in-us-waters-has-hit-crisis-levels-are-farmers-ready-to-change\/\">reducing soil erosion and nutrient runoff<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2014\/08\/26\/more-crops-per-drop-no-till-farming-combats-drought\/\">holding water<\/a> on farms, many soil scientists say their ability to meaningfully fix carbon in soil over time is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/environment\/us-bets-climate-friendly-farming-experts-doubt-it-is-climate-friendly-enough-2024-04-11\/\">not yet well-established<\/a> due to questions around depth, <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2021\/05\/03\/carbon-markets-stand-to-reward-no-till-farmers-but-most-are-still-tilling-the-soil\/\">permanence<\/a>, and saturation.<\/p>\n<p>Truterra is going beyond those two practices, and one of the new programs Tom Ryan, Truterra\u2019s former president, was most excited to talk about last year was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.truterraag.com\/Articles\/Flexible-Farmer-Friendly-Programs-Announced\">adding nitrogen management<\/a> to the practices the platform would pay for. (Bayer also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bayer.com\/en\/us\/news-stories\/carbon-program-expands-eligibility#:~:text=Sustainability-,Bayer%20Carbon%20Program%20Expands%20Eligibility%2C%20Creates%20New%20Potential%20Revenue,for%20Thousands%20of%20US%20Farmers&amp;text=Program%20updates%20include%20additional%20eligible,a%20new%20Nitrogen%20Management%20Program.\">added nitrogen management<\/a> to its program this year.)<\/p>\n<p>In addition to harming health, rural economies, and wildlife <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2024\/05\/01\/across-farm-country-fertilizer-pollution-impacts-not-just-health-but-water-costs-too\/\">due to water pollution<\/a>, excess nitrogen applied to farm fields also creates emissions of nitrous oxide, <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2019\/09\/19\/the-greenhouse-gas-no-ones-talking-about-nitrous-oxide-on-farms-explained\/\">a greenhouse gas<\/a> that has 300 times more global warming impacts than carbon dioxide. As a result, unlike the as-yet-unknown climate potential of cover crops and no-till, reducing nitrogen fertilizer application has clear potential to significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n<p>Still, Truterra\u2019s nitrogen management program allows farmers to either reduce fertilizer or add a \u201cstabilizer,\u201d another product that helps prevent nitrogen leaching. Given the choice of which to recommend, it\u2019s hard to imagine a retailer telling a farmer to buy less fertilizer, because doing so could reduce their yields (although stabilizers can help reduce the amount of fertilizer needed). Land O\u2019Lakes\u2019 spokesperson did not share specific data on which path farmers are choosing, saying some \u201cuse one or the other or both to best meet the specific needs of their fields.\u201d The spokesperson added that farmers can choose any stabilizer, not just one made by WinField United, to qualify.<\/p>\n<p>Land O\u2019Lakes is specifically marketing enrollment in Truterra in conjunction with WinField United\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winfieldunited.com\/products\/advanced-acre-prescription-program\">Advanced Acre Rx<\/a>, a product that involves using a farmer\u2019s data to recommend specific seeds, nutrients, herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides and includes \u201cseason-long support from your local ag input retailer.\u201d When a farmer is setting out to implement climate-smart practices, Ryan said, \u201cWe have to help them build that plan, which includes products.\u201d Advanced Acre Rx is a prescription system that is sold as a way to target inputs for greater efficiency. Bayer also pointed to<a href=\"https:\/\/climate.com\/features\/fertility-management\/\"> its resources<\/a> that help farmers optimize and target inputs.<\/p>\n<h4>Impacting the Bigger Picture<\/h4>\n<\/div><div class=\"post-simple post-capital-letter\"><p> Outside of the carbon markets run by pesticide companies, there are other platforms working to reward a wider swath of practices that provide climate benefits while also reducing crop inputs. Nori has one organic farmer enrolled in its market, for example, while Carbon Harvest <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2023\/08\/29\/can-agroforestry-breathe-new-life-into-carbon-markets\/\">is setting up a market<\/a> to pay small farms to implement agroforestry projects. <\/p><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<p>But the Hamilton College researchers said the farmers in their study expressed concerns that chemical companies \u201ccould be involved in setting national government standards for carbon markets, which would then skew all carbon markets toward a specific style of farming and ignore other beneficial practices for carbon sequestration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One set of standards is already in the works, and the process is happening partially as a result of lobbying by pesticide companies and the wider agricultural industry.<\/p>\n<p>Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-Virginia) first introduced the Growing Climate Solutions Act to initiate U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) oversight of carbon markets in 2020. It became a top priority for the industry, and in April 2022, CropLife America\u2019s president and CEO Chris Novak praised the reintroduction of the act.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Growing Climate Solutions Act offers meaningful progress toward enabling farmer and landowner participation in voluntary carbon markets,\u201d he said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.croplifeamerica.org\/news-releases\/blog-post-title-one-g4mna\">in a statement<\/a>. \u201cRegenerative farming practices such as no-till farming, conservation tillage, and the use of cover crops are made possible through the use of pesticides.\u201d Bayer, Corteva, and Land O\u2019Lakes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.agriculture.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/Supporters%20of%20the%20Growing%20Climate%20Solutions%20Act.pdf\">all supported the bill<\/a>, which Congress ultimately passed as part of a spending package at the end of 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Now, the USDA is working to fulfill the requirements of the law. In October, it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usda.gov\/media\/press-releases\/2023\/10\/23\/usda-releases-assessment-agriculture-and-forestry-carbon-markets\">published<\/a> a broad assessment of agriculture and carbon markets, followed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usda.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/documents\/GCSA-JustificationReport.pdf\">a February report<\/a> explaining the next steps, including that it will evaluate the current carbon market protocols, determine which technical assistance providers are qualified to be listed by the agency, and create resources for farmers to navigate the landscape. At the end of May, the agency <a href=\"https:\/\/www.regulations.gov\/document\/AMS_FRDOC_0001-2542\">solicited public comment<\/a> on those next steps as part of a larger <a href=\"https:\/\/home.treasury.gov\/system\/files\/136\/VCM-Joint-Policy-Statement-and-Principles.pdf\">Biden administration announcement<\/a> around its policies and principles on voluntary carbon markets (which go beyond but include agriculture).<\/p>\n<p>In an interview, Robert Bonnie, the Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation at the USDA, said the process for getting companies to share their specific protocols is still being worked out and public comments will help shape it. \u201cYes, we&#8217;re going to need information, we&#8217;re going to need to understand what&#8217;s behind them,\u201d he said. \u201cThe critical part of all of this is that the public, consumers, investors, everybody has confidence that there&#8217;s going to be real gains to the climate as we undertake these practices and that the value in the marketplace is real.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As to the various criticisms around companies that manufacture inputs running carbon markets, Bonnie said private sector investment is crucial to achieving climate progress on farms. \u201cIt&#8217;s really, really beneficial to have companies out there that are looking for ways to develop technologies and innovations that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and maintain agricultural productivity. That&#8217;s a good thing. We want that,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it puts a very high priority on making sure that the work we do around protocols is transparent and that we do this in a way that maintains public confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bonnie said that the agency\u2019s work on carbon markets fits into the larger picture at the USDA, where the agency is using many different tools to support climate-smart practices. \u201cWe&#8217;re trying to create value for farmers, ranchers, and forest owners that undertake climate-smart practices,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The crown jewel of that picture is Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack\u2019s $3 billion <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usda.gov\/climate-solutions\/climate-smart-commodities\">Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Program<\/a>. When the agency solicited input on how to structure that program, CropLife America <a href=\"https:\/\/downloads.regulations.gov\/USDA-2021-0010-0326\/attachment_1.pdf\">submitted a letter<\/a> once again emphasizing the connection between climate-smart farming and pesticides.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReduced or no-till soil management and the use of cover crops are two critically important . . . practices that are enabled by pesticide tools,\u201d it read. \u201cThere have been significant climate and soil quality benefits from these . . . practices (enabled by pesticide tools) to date, but there is great opportunity for increasing the scale and impact of these practices.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One company already working to realize that opportunity is Truterra, which the USDA awarded $90 million in Climate-Smart Commodities funds. In September 2022, when Vilsack <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0sexF4_aRR0\">attended a Truterra kick-off event<\/a>, it was held at the WinField United Innovation Center. In its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usda.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/documents\/truterra-llc-land-o-lakes-nr233a750004g016.pdf\">agreement<\/a> with the USDA, Truterra emphasized the impact its connection to the company would have, noting that it is \u201cthe largest U.S. distributor of crop inputs\u201d and that its crop input services reach roughly half of harvested cropland acres in the country.<\/p>\n<p>In response to the question of whether, at the core, one goal of carbon markets should be to reduce farm inputs including fossil fuel-derived pesticides and fertilizers, Bonnie said in some cases it may make sense but that in others, beneficial new products could be a better answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want to keep our eye on the prize here, and it may be that there that there are systems where reducing inputs or changing the mix of inputs or using inputs that enhance efficiency . . . allow us to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining productivity. In many places, that&#8217;s part of the mix. But we\u2019re not here trying to limit inputs per se, we&#8217;re trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class='ctx-module-container ctx_default_placement ctx-clearfix'><\/div><span class=\"ctx-article-root\"><!-- --><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ufeff September 10, 2024 Update:\u00a0Nori, one of the leading startup carbon market platforms for agriculture, shut its doors\u00a0on September 9.\u00a0On LinkedIn, co-founder Alexsandra Guerra said \u201cthe challenges of a stagnant Voluntary Carbon Market and tough funding environment proved too great.\u201d First, the farmers embarked on a wagon tour. One stop showed off a soybean yield [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":740,"featured_media":56871,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43346,43519,4146,4479,4480,43396,3265],"tags":[],"coauthors":[4440],"class_list":["post-56872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-carbon_markets","category-chemical-capture","category-climate","category-farming","category-health","category-investigations","category-pesticides"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.6 (Yoast SEO v25.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Are Companies Using Carbon Markets in the US to Sell Pesticides? | Civil Eats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Many programs meant to help farmers address climate change are now owned by companies that sell 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Since 2015, she has reported on agriculture and the food system with an eye toward sustainability, equality, and health, and her stories have appeared in publications including The Guardian, The Washington Post, and Mother Jones. In the past, she covered health and wellness and was an editor at Well+Good. 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