Can New Technology Incentivize Farmers to Capture Carbon in Their Soil? by Michael Sterenberg |July 21, 2021
The Scenic Hudson Soil Lab is a rather unassuming structure. Sitting atop a hemp farm within New York’s Hudson River Valley, the lab is unadorned, and no bigger than a roadside diner. The inconspicuousness of the site, however, belies the importance of the research going on inside.
In the past few years, the lab has become the regional hub for a burgeoning group of scientists, farmers and entrepreneurs who gather here to analyze soil core samples taken from local plots of land, measuring these samples for their organic carbon content. As more landowners look into the possibility of generating and selling carbon offsets the legal deeds verifying that one ton of carbon dioxide has either been captured from the atmosphere, or not emitted in the first place the research going on inside the lab is crucial.
KNBN NewsCenter1
March 3, 2021
RAPID CITY, S.D. The annual regional job fair was held at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center on Wednesday.
From Custer State Park, to Monument Health, and the Rapid City Fire Department, there were an abundance of job opportunities for those seeking them.
“We’ve had a good response to the show far. We’ve probably hired three people specifically to come out and work for us this summer. We are seasonal, so that’s a little difficulty that we specifically have to deal with out here,” said Nick Reinke, HR Director at Custer State Park Resorts.
February 26, 2021
A tiny cornstalk sprouts from the earth and emerges among the wheat stubble in a no till operation. Image by Shutterstock/Samray
Want more great analysis of sustainable food systems? Sign up for Food Weekly, our free email newsletter.
Are you fully caffeinated? This week, I’ll try to untangle one of the more complex, confusing and contentious aspects of our food systems: the emerging market for soil carbon offsets. I’ve been talking to people in this area for several months. Everyone was polite, but it’s clear that divisions run deep. I want to try to make sense of those divisions so you can figure out how to engage or not in the market. Coffee ready? Let’s dive in.
How to make money from carbon soil sequestration?
The day is coming when most farmers in the developed world will earn money from storing carbon dioxide in their soils, but when and how much? It all starts with carbon measurement.
As greenhouse gas emissions become an increasingly urgent issue around the world, eyes turn to farmers and their ability to store carbon in the soil (and cut emissions on-farm as well). There are already fledgling ag carbon markets in Australia, the US and Canada, with the EU market expected in five to ten years, but what’s holding them back from gaining big ground?