The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) will hold a virtual roundtable July 14 to help answer farmers’ and landowners’ questions about enrolling in emerging programs designed to pay farmers for adopting carbon sequestration practices.

IFBF’s “Carbon Credit Markets: What Farmers Need to Know” virtual roundtable is designed to address key questions and provide valuable in­sight to farmers as they seek to reduce their carbon footprint and navigate opportunities offered by private companies for practices or outcomes while maintaining awareness of potential federal government programs, said Sam Funk, IFBF director of ag analytics and research. It will feature nationally recognized experts on climate programs, as well as officials from leading companies that are offering climate program credits to farmers, he said.

“This first-of-its-kind webinar will bring together scientific, business, association and priv­ate-sector climate program stakeholders to help our members build a better understanding of climate and carbon credit market options and economic and environmental opportunities presented,” Funk said. “We know that not all climate programs are carbon-only initiatives, so our speakers will provide our members the key data they need to know to make informed decisions on their farm.”  

Addressing key questions

The virtual roundtable will address some of farmers’ key questions including:

- What do carbon credit programs mean for farmers in terms of cost and commitment?

- What information does a farmer need to share, and how long is a farmer locked into an arrangement?

- Will arrangements change if new federal programs arise?

- What are some of the burdens or challenges involved with these programs, and what practices or measured outcomes are required to be met to enroll?

The IFBF virtual roundtable will be held July 14 from 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. There is no charge for Iowa Farm Bureau members and a $50 fee for non-members.  

The virtual event will kick off with Shelby Myers, an American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) economist, and Joe Outlaw, professor and extension economist at Texas A&M University.

That overview will be followed by a roundtable discussion with representatives from companies currently offering carbon credit programs including Bayer Crop Science and Corteva Agriscience.

Also participating will be a representative of AgOutcomes discussing broader conservation program offerings developed as a subsidiary of the Iowa Soybean Association.

Participants will have an op­­portunity to directly engage with the panel speakers by submitting questions prior to the webinar and/or using the Zoom Q&A feature during the live webinar.  

“As farmers explore considerations for private-sector carbon sequestration programs, we know there are many questions regarding these program commitments,” Funk said.

Many farmers also have specific questions about whether climate credit programs will create limitations of certain farming practices, such as tillage to control resistant weeds, Funk noted. Other questions include how the farm landowner/renter relationship works in climate programs and concerns that early adopters will be placed at a financial disadvantage in new programs, he said.

Providing insight
“This webinar will provide farmers the insight needed to make informed decisions on the potential consequences of engaging or withholding from participating in available climate market programs,” Funk said.

For more information and to sign up for the IFBF roundtable, go to www.iowafarmbureau.com.