Potato Grower

16 POTATO GROWER | APRIL 2022 WHAT'S DRIVING THE CARBON CRAZE? Traditional farming methods that sequester carbon, such as minimal or no plowing of fields (no-till), rotating crops, and planting cover crops, have existed for millennia. So, what's causing the hype around carbon farming now? The short answer: money. Carbon stored in soil could soon become its own commod- ity crop. As large companies look to offset their greenhouse gas emissions by paying for sequestration and removal, the demand for carbon credits is accelerating worldwide. Farmers are not only feeding the world, but also are running businesses and want to capitalize on this potential new revenue stream. "The carbon industry right now almost seems a little bit like the Wild West," says Bamberger. "There's a lot of new information rolling out to growers that looks to agriculture as the solution to reducing our carbon footprint. I believe we can help be the greatest solution, but I'm just worried about the rules and regulations that will be passed. My hope is that they won't be rolled out too quickly." Many of the technologies and practices used to generate carbon credits are only cost-effective when done on a massive scale. According to Bamberger, farmers normally implement new practices in incremental steps. "We started to introduce no-till practices about three years ago on parts of our farm to learn about cover crops," she says. "Understanding what cover crop species will work in our area has been a winding road. We've done a lot of trials on different cover crop mixes, different species and different parts of the field to try to learn more about the species and how they work on our farm. This helps us to not have a negative effect, so that cover crops do not get quickly out of hand. If so, this could prevent us from planting on time, which is essen- tially what we are trying to avoid." CROP PROTECTION IS A MUST Crop protection technology, such as herbicides, plays an important role in helping farmers implement carbon farming practices. Bryant Agricultural Enterprises has partnered with BASF, which has one of the broadest ranges of herbicides in the industry, in a wide array of crop protection initiatives. "It'll be very difficult for us to grow the number of bushels of any crop needed without the use of herbicides," says Bam- berger. "With an increasing population that requires food, fuel and fiber, it will be detrimental if we remove the capability to use herbicides. Even as we transition to no-till farming and plant more cover crops, herbicides play an even more critical role. Digital technology has allowed us to spray weeds in a tar- geted way and not in entire fields. We're applying significantly fewer inputs today than just six years ago." If implemented on a larger scale in the U.S., agricultural soils could draw down more 250 million metric tons of atmo- spheric CO 2 annually, according to The National Academy of Sciences. This will require universal standards for measuring, reporting and verifying agricultural carbon credits and incen- tives. For now, several companies are banking on carbon with carbon payment programs. Bamberger is just one of many next-generation farmers continuing the legacy of land stewardship. "We continue to challenge ourselves to produce crops in a safe and sustainable manner, while making sure our decisions are operationally profitable and environmentally friendly," she says. "We know as the world population increases, it's more important than ever to continue to take care of our soils and environment while producing high-yielding crops." Agriculture has a big role to play in reducing carbon emis- sions, but it will take multiple industries coming together to make carbon farming a reality on a larger scale. One thing's certain: The young farmer wearing a striped sundress with bright purple boots will continue to do her part when it comes to climate-smart farming. PG

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