Is Carbon Farming Profitable?

This is Tim Hammerich of the Ag Information Network with your Farm of the Future Report.

Iowa State professor Dr. Alejandro Plastina says farmers are still skeptical of carbon farming, especially because markets have yet to take off. However, he does see the potential for the other good things it can provide.

Plastina… “I don’t really see right now a large share of Midwest farmers actually extracting high profitability from carbon programs, but I do see the potential for moving the needle towards more adoption of regenerative practices.”

Plastina says income from carbon credits can support stewardship practices that would otherwise be too expensive to implement.

Plastina… “Having these carbon payments might bring them from the red to the black and generate enough revenue to be able to cover all the costs to switching to more regenerative practices.”

While the profit forecast is still unknown, carbon farming has other potential benefits for the environment.

Plastina… “The goal probably right now with current carbon prices might not be to make money, but to help them move in the right direction.”

That’s Dr. Alejandro Plastina of Iowa State University.