What happens if I decide to change practices? Do I have to return payments I’ve received for carbon credits issued for the fields I enrolled? Can I still be a part of the program?

We understand that conditions on the ground can change and that you need the flexibility to make the best decision for your operation. We encourage you to sign up for the program. If you need to change your practices in an enrolled field, let us know on a timely basis through the project portal. If you need to withdraw a field from the program, you will be compensated for carbon accumulated through the end of the previous season. We will replace your field with other acres to ensure that the credit buyer gets the carbon removal tons they paid for.

How is quality and compliance measured? Am I eligible for more credits if my ground is completely covered?

A: We measure change through a combination of on-site measurement and predictions using our AI-driven measurement system. We measure initial soil carbon stocks and revisit a statistical sample of fields at five year intervals to re-measure. For the years when soil isn’t being sampled, we use our AI-driven system to measure carbon stock change.

We will ask you about your practices, including whether you are covering all of your field or only the alleys.  You will be paid based on the measured change in the fields you have enrolled. If you are covering both the rows and the alleys, you will be paid more than if only the alleys are covered.

Is there a contract involved?

To be formally accepted into the program and receive carbon credit revenue, you will need to sign a contract. The contract ensures that you understand the terms of the program and have legal ownership of the carbon removal credits produced by the fields you enroll.

How do you actually know how much soil carbon there is?

We harness the latest advances in remote sensing and deep learning technology to generate accurate estimates of field-level carbon stocks at the lowest possible cost.  Our measurement system processes vast amounts of earth observations from satellites as well as climate, terrain and soil variables to select the best locations to collect soil samples.  We use the data from those soil samples and others to “train” our deep learning model to predict the change in soil carbon in a field resulting from the carbon-storing practices you implement.  We have demonstrated the ability to predict Soil Organic Carbon stock change with less than 3% median absolute percent error.

Why do I have to follow your methods for measuring carbon?

CDR credit buyers want to know that we will deliver the carbon removal tons they pay for. By demonstrating to credit buyers that we have a very rigorous, consistent and accurate measurement process, we can get better pricing and terms for the credits we issue. We contract with a registry to validate our project design and operating procedures, and we pay for an annual third party audit to verify that we are following the project design and operating procedures.  That results in more revenue for growers.

Explain how the payments to growers will be arrived at? 

We negotiate CDR credit purchase agreement terms with buyers to set the price, quantity, timing of delivery, and payment terms. The payments to growers will be a function of the tons of carbon stored, the price per ton paid by the buyer, and the net proceeds after transaction fees and program administration costs are covered. The per acre revenue will be communicated to growers when we present contracts for growers to consider.

What is the time commitment and long-term obligations for participating growers? 

Growers are asked to enroll their fields into an application called the Cropland Stewardship Service and document their practice information. Additionally, growers will need to coordinate with Recover Ag staff to provide field access for soil sampling events. Finally, the time it takes to implement the practices should also be considered. The “crediting period” associated with the contract is 10 years, but fields can be removed from the program without a penalty provided we receive timely notification.

Does the size of an operation matter?

No! We can work with any size operation. 

What kind of reporting will I be required to do?

All reporting will be done within our app, the Cropland Stewardship Service. It’s easy to update and manage. We set up an account using the information you provide in your application. You confirm the boundaries for the fields you want to enroll, and document your practices. We select which fields to directly measure, and document all measurements (direct and modeled) in the application for you to review.

When do I need to plant the cover crop to be eligible?

Cover crops should be planted before January 15 to be eligible for credits to be issued at the end of the year.