The Ohio Soybean Council has launched a new website
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
An industry organization has launched a new online tool to help local farmers access carbon market resources.
The Ohio Soybean Council’s (OSC) new website is live and provides farmers with multiple pieces of information about carbon markets.
This includes industry definitions, questions to ask before enrolling in a carbon program and links to current programs available to Ohio farmers.
Because carbon markets are a relatively new venture, the way they operate aren’t always the same.
“Each program has its own requirements and ways of measuring success so the sheer amount of information that exists can be overwhelming for farmers who are just trying to make the best decision for their operation, said Ryan Rhoades, president of the Ohio Soybean Association.
Providing this information to farmers can help them understand what they may be getting into before signing an agreement.
As we began to learn about the carbon programs available in Ohio, we realized there was not a ‘one-stop-shop’ resource for farmers to compare programs and answer initial questions,” Bill Bateson, chairman of the OSC, said in a statement. “This site addresses many of the questions Ohio farmers have surrounding carbon markets and offers an opportunity for them to gather information from an unbiased source.”
Many carbon market opportunities are run by private companies.
And the United States Department of Agriculture may want to keep it that way.
A carbon market run by the U.S. government isn’t in the cards at this point, said Robert Bonnie, the USDA’s under secretary for farm production and conservation.
“Doing this in a way that is not competitive with the market and actually invites more investment in is going to be critical,” he said, Bloomberg reported. “And that’s where the biggest opportunity is.”