Agriculture and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Tim Hammerich

News Reporter

Carbon markets are not a new concept, but one that has definitely taken center stage due to the current administration’s commitment to mitigating the effects of climate change. But greenhouse gas emissions go beyond just carbon, and Central Farm Service’s KC Graner sees an opportunity for agriculture to play a role.

Graner… “I think carbon markets, maybe we gotta do better as an industry of talking about greenhouse gas markets. You know, talking about the nitrogen based gases that are so much more potent in the atmosphere and what better place to manage nitrogen based gas emissions, than the local retail ag cooperative that is buying, warehousing, applying and proving the use of those nitrogen fertilizers.”

Graner is the senior vice president for agronomy for the CFS cooperative. He says local retailers can play a role in helping farmers navigate these emerging opportunities.

Graner… “Can the local retailer be that third party that validates the data on the grower's behalf, gets them paid for their better management practices that help with greenhouse gas emissions, that help with global warming or whatever initiative that everyone's banding together to do. You always follow the dollars. And right now there's a lot of dollars going towards that. We've got to make sure we stay on our game to bring the best local trusted advice in that space to our customers.”

Staying on these opportunities will be important as more details of the climate plan emerge.