Carbon offsets and credits are not new, but the growing interest in carbon markets for agriculture leaves many wondering what it might mean for them. The following page provides standard carbon market terms, links to resources, and a few relevant questions answered by College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences researchers and Extension educators.
Now available: Carbon resources from the CFAES Rattan Lal Center for Carbon Management and Sequestration. Learn more about the carbon cycle. Get the fundamentals about soil carbon sequestration. And understand how soil microbes and nutrient recycling contribute to the carbon cycle.
Utilizing biochar in agriculture is a recommended best management practice to reduce greenhouse emissions from fields. This green tech could be a vital part of keeping the Earth's average temperature below the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold outline by scientists. Learn more about the recent study that showed promising results in reducing amounts of nitrous oxide and methane in this Ohio State News article.
Rattan Lal, Ohio State Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science, will take the lead to measure how much organic and inorganic carbon gets sequestered in the soil under different farming practices in key regions, Ohio State News reports.
A new report from the Environmental Defense Fund lays out the details of carbon sequestration protocols for policymakers to help them make informed decisions.
Thinking about jumping into carbon markets? Associate Professor Peggy Kirk Hall with the Ohio State University Extension Farm Office explains terminology, practices, payments, and legal considerations before you leap in an August 3, 2021 blog post from the Ohio Ag Law Blog.
The interdisciplinary research from the Rattan Lal Center for Carbon Management and Sequestration focuses on carbon sequestration techniques and technologies in forestry, agriculture, water management, nutrient cycling, and more. Get the latest and most accurate information here.
Carbon markets pay producers who add farming practices to their operation that trap carbon in the ground, including crop rotation, planting cover crops, and no-till or reduced tillage. Healthy soils hold carbon more efficiently. Learn more about soil health and soil organic matter from the Soil Fertility Team.
Renewed interest in carbon markets equals many questions for farmers who must balance the costs and benefits of carbon credits. Associate Professor Peggy Kirk Hall addresses some of the bigger questions in an Ohio Ag Law blog post from May 5, 2021, "Carbon as a commodity for agriculture?"
Additionality: Greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions are additional if the carbon credit market is the sole reason that they were implemented. If the reductions would have happened anyway—without an opportunity for farmers to sell carbon offset credits—they are not considered additional.
Carbon offset: The production and/or purchase of a carbon credit intended to cancel out the equivalent carbon emissions somewhere else. For example, net-zero carbon emissions does not imply zero carbon is being emitted. The amount of carbon credits purchased equals the amount of emitted carbon resulting in net-zero carbon emissions.
Carbon offset standard: Ensures carbon offset projects meet certain quality requirements such as additionality, permanence, and verification.
Permanence: The effects of CO2 emissions are long-lived. A ton of CO2 released into the atmosphere is considered a permanent emission. However, offsetting energy emissions with ecosystem carbon
sequestration practices, such as establishing forests or capturing carbon in soil organic matter, can be considered semi-permanent. If those ecosystems are disturbed through burns, harvesting, or changing practices, carbon is released again. Participants in carbon credit contracts should consider that the trade between permanently emitted tons and non-permanent but additional tons stored in ecosystems may not be equal.
Verification: A process to evaluate calculations of the actual amount of greenhouse gas emission avoided—or carbon sequestered—by an implemented farming practice, such as the use of cover crops. Typically performed by a third party.
For more terminology and FAQs, visit Ohio Soybean Council Carbon Markets.
Your quick guide to carbon market terminology and a few questions answered by College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences experts.
Jacqueline K. Wilkins
Associate Dean and Director
Ohio State University Extension
Sam Custer
Interim Assistant Director, Agriculture and Natural Resources
OSU Extension
Rattan Lal
Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science
Director, Rattan Lal Carbon Management and Sequestration Center (C-MASC)
Brian Slater
Professor
School of Environment and Natural Resources (SENR)
Klaus Lorenz
Postdoctoral Researcher
C-MASC
Scott Demyan
Assistant Professor
SENR
Steve Culman
Associate Professor and State Specialist
OSU Extension
Leonardo Deiss
Postdoctoral Scholar
SENR
Brent Sohngen
Professor
Department of Agricultural, Environmental,
and Developmental Economics (AEDE)
Ian Sheldon
Professor and Andersons Chair of Agricultural
Marketing, Trade, and Policy
AEDE
Seungki Lee
Professor
AEDE
Marília Chiavegato
Assistant Professor
Department of Horticulture and Crop Sciences
Elena Irwin
CFAES Distinguished Professor
Faculty Director, Sustainable and Resilient Economy Program
Kate Bartter
Executive Director
Sustainability Institute
Peggy Kirk Hall
Associate Professor and Field Specialist
Agriculture and Resource Law
OSU Extension Farm Office
Andrew J. Londo
Professor
Agriculture and Natural Resources, OSU Extension
Michael Estadt
Extension Educator
Agriculture and Natural Resources, OSU Extension
Adam Ward
Director
CFAES Government Affairs
Ellen K. Essman
Research Associate
CFAES Government Affairs
Kim Winslow
Assistant Director and Integration Manager
CFAES Knowledge Exchange
