Dec 16, 2021

Carbon farming college accredited, launched online by Indigo Ag

Carbon Farming fund Indigo Ag in mid-December rolled out a continuing education series designed to increase access to high-quality information and accelerate adoption of carbon farming practices.

The comprehensive online learning experience, Carbon College, is “the latest step in the company’s commitment to leverage science and its digital technology platform to equip the ag industry with the resources needed to enable farmers’ success on every step of the carbon farming journey,” according to a news release from the company.

Approved by the American Society of Agronomy, the Carbon College curriculum leverages Indigo‘s insights as the leader in the ag-carbon market to help farmers and agronomists gain the orientation, practical skills, and industry-recognized credentials needed to make the most informed carbon farming decisions, according to the news release.

“By providing independent and trustworthy guidance, we hope to take the confusion out of this process, reduce the barrier to entry for carbon farming, and support the development of the market toward long term success, which we define as maximized profitability outcomes for farmers,” John Frederick, global head of carbon commercial operations at Indigo Ag, said in the news release.

Carbon College features self-paced ‘bundles’ ­– practical deep dives comprised of short educational videos and comprehension tests – that together cover the essentials of carbon farming. The first of these course bundles, “Learn the Landscape,” is available publicly to help inform 2022 planning decisions. It includes:

• “What is Carbon Farming?” which features insights from farmers’ carbon farming experiences, from what first got them interested in practices that generate carbon credits and build soil health to the long-term benefits of these farming methods.
• “Carbon Markets & Ag,” which outlines key terms and foundational components of carbon credits, carbon markets, and how both work in agriculture.
• “Carbon Farming & Profitability,” which dives into measuring farm success beyond yield, including the impact of carbon farming practices on profitability.

Agronomists who complete the inaugural bundle can earn one free Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) continuing education credit (CEU) toward their credential requirements. Additional bundles, which will be released in the following weeks, will offer the opportunity to earn further CCA CEUs with courses focused on specific practice implementation guidance, strategies for identifying and measuring progress toward success, and what to expect from participating in a carbon farming program. Indigo certifies the agronomists who successfully complete the full Carbon College curriculum with a Carbon Farming Principles certification.

“As we’re getting into carbon farming, there are lots of questions,” Will Drucker, a rye and soy grower based in Northwest Illinois, said in the news release. “Indigo has been essential among our pool of resources to help inform what decision to take at what time, and what the impacts of that will be in terms of the soil organic carbon we can sequester.”