Carbon Credit Program
Minnesota Farmers Union's Carbon Credit Program allows agricultural producers and landowners to earn income by storing carbon in their soil through no-till crop production, conversion of cropland to grass and tree plantings on previously non-forested or degraded land. In addition, the capture of methane from anaerobic manure digester systems can also earn carbon credits.
Farmers Union has earned approval from the Chicago Climate Exchange to aggregate carbon offsets (carbon credits) and sell them on behalf of producers and landowners. Farmers Union enrolls acreage into blocks of marketable offsets that are traded on the Exchange, much likehow other agricultural commodities are sold. Proceeds from the sale are then forwarded to property owners as each pool of carbon credits is marketed. Nationally, the Farmers Union Carbon Credit Program has earned producers more than $8 Million in our first two years of operatons.
Maps are available on via the website that show eligibility for the program. They are automatically programmed into the enrollement system and payment estimator. All enrollment must be done via the internet.
Farmers Union offers continuous online enrollment for all offset types, although pools of enrollment are closed periodically for verification and registration of offsets. Producers provide land descriptions or map designations for the land they enroll in the program. The entered information is then transferred directly into Farmers Union's database. Producers then follow up by sending in FSA 578 forms that detail their cropland acres, pasture descriptions and currrent maps. Producers also remit a signed contract. It is necessary for producers to have a valid e-mail address, as well as a post office address for communication and verification purposes.
Agriculture methane offsets are also available, but only sample contracts and applications are available online. These individual projects will require producers or landowners to send in all materials by mail. Pooling, verification and marketing of carbon offsets will follow.
To be most cost-effective, Farmers Union centralizes the carbon credit program through our North Dakota affiliate. The website below has a great deal of helpful information, and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) that should be able to answer most of your questions about participating in this program.
For More Information and FAQ's: www.carboncredit.ndfu.org
Or you can contact Bruce Miller at MFU for information on which Field Staff member can best be of assistance to you: bruce@mfu.org