Truterra
Truterra is one of four business units at Land O'Lakes. Truterra helps farmers estimate, evaluate, and develop credits and identify markets for credit sales. Truterra offers two carbon programs for farmers.
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| Year Organization Established a Carbon Program | 2021 |
| Affiliated Organization Type | Agricultural Retailer |
| Affiliated Organizations | Land O'Lakes |
| Buyers secured | Microsoft (contracted for 100,000 tonnes over 20 years) |
| Payment Basis to Farmers | Dependent on type of program |
| Payment Amount and Details | Soil Health Assessment & Plan: Free to producers Market Access Program: $2 - $8/acre Carbon Premium: $30/tonne Carbon Standard Program: $15/tonne |
| Agricultural System Focus | Cropland |
| Eligible States | U.S. |
| Eligible Practices | No-till, Strip till, Reduced till, and continuous soil cover |
| Contract Length | Annual contract |
| Contract Details | Five-year reporting commitment, using the Truterra Sustainability Tool. |
| Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) | Soil sampling protocols follow those of the Soil Health Institute. Soil carbon levels are measured using crop modeling and in-field soil sampling. Truterra covers the cost of the soil sampling. |
| Digital Tools for MRV | Participating Producers get access to the Truterra Sustainability Tool which allows them to set a stewardship baseline for every field and to predict and measure the impact (on both the environment and profitability) of implementing conservation practices. |
| Qualification/eligibility criteria | Program Field Requirements Other Requirements SOIL HEALTH ASSESSMENT & PLAN – Crops in 2023: corn, soybeans or wheat – Commitment to assessment and consideration of plan – Limited to IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE and WI MARKET ACCESS – Crops in 2023: corn, soybeans, wheat or cotton – Practices: tillage reduction, addition of cover crop – Practice change year: 2023 – There is no recurring contract – Payment per acre may vary by geography. CARBON PREMIUM – Corn/soybean rotation – Practices: tillage reduction, addition of cover crop – Practice change year: 2021, 2022 – Fields where biomass was removed are not eligible. CARBON STANDARD – Corn, soybeans, wheat and/or cotton in rotation – Practices: tillage reduction, addition of cover crop – Practice change years: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 – Fields where biomass was removed are not eligible. |
| Minimum Acreage | Farmers must implement a qualifying practice, and the program is open to farmers with corn, soy, cotton, or wheat in rotation. Capacity for this program is low, so farmers are encouraged to enroll early. |
| Must land be owned? | Producers who rent land can provide an attestation of their right to market carbon on the property. |
| Minimum Data Requirements | The program requires: Three years of baseline data (years before the practice change), plus data for every year since the practice change. Practices included in the program are no-till, strip till, reduced till, and continuous soil cover. Data required for these practices include: - Crop. - Cover crop species. - Planting and harvest/termination dates of crops and cover crops. Tillage method and depth. |
| Years of management practice data needed | The program could require up to six years of historical data. |
| Does the program pay for past practices? | Practice change must have been made between crop year 2017 2021 and crop year 2021 2023. |
| Additional information | |
| Payment Calculator | To sign up visit www.truterraag.com/CarbonSurvey |
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For additional details, visit the Truterra’s website