Program offers growers a simple, flexible, transparent way to access the carbon marketplace through adoption of regenerative agriculture practices
Enrollment opens this month for Cargill RegenConnectTM, a voluntary market-based regenerative agriculture program offering producers a simple, flexible, and transparent way to access the growing carbon marketplace. For the 2022-23 crop season Cargill has expanded grower eligibility to 15 states including: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Kentucky, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
“In our first year, Cargill has received a tremendous response from growers about RegenConnect,” said Nathan Fries, program lead for Cargill RegenConnect. “It is our goal to deliver a best-in-class program that is economically viable for farmers and improves their profitability through the tools, resources and market access they need to make the shift to regenerative agriculture.”
Cargill will once again offer one-crop-year contracts to producer customers in eligible states to sequester carbon through implementation of new or expanded regenerative agriculture practices such as cover crops, no-till or reduced-till. Eligible acres must have a primary crop of corn, soy or wheat. Farmers can choose the practices that are best suited to their operation’s unique growing conditions. For the 2022-23 enrollment, Cargill will offer a market competitive price of $25 per metric ton of carbon sequestered per acre.
Carbon sequestration achieved through RegenConnect will contribute to Cargill’s scope 3 climate commitment and also can help the company’s downstream customers achieve their voluntary carbon reduction goals. Cargill aims to have 10 million acres enrolled in sustainable and regenerative farming programs by 2030.
How to Enroll for 2022-23 Season
Farmers looking to unlock the profit potential of their farm through adoption of regenerative agriculture practices can enroll in the 2022-23 RegenConnect program starting mid-May by visiting www.cargillregenconnect.com or by connecting with their Cargill relationship manager. To support farmers during the upcoming enrollment period, Cargill has expanded its team of conservation agronomists to offer technical support in successfully implementing regenerative soil health best practices. Cargill has also added support to its grain origination team, dedicated to providing farmers with an unparalleled enrollment experience.
The program’s intuitive digital platform is powered by carbon measurement firm Regrow and uses the industry leading soil carbon model, DNDC (DeNitrification-DeComposition). The program incorporates weather, soil management and environmental conditions that allows farmers to easily model the soil’s response to practice changes and estimate quantified carbon outcomes. In addition, enrolled farmers can track management practices for each of their fields and crops. Management practices for each field can be imported from compatible farm management systems or identified with remote sensing technology. The Regrow platform was built to ensure secure data collection and provides transparent measurement and verification options for farmers.
