Home / Business and Economy / Ranchers Out-Earn Cattle With Soil Carbon
Ranchers Out-Earn Cattle With Soil Carbon
16 Apr
Summary
- New standard revolutionizes regenerative agriculture economics.
- Farmers now earn more from carbon sequestration than cattle.
- Corporations gain credible way to track climate mitigation.
A new Greenhouse Gas Protocol standard, the Land Sector and Removals Standard (LSRS), promises to revolutionize the economics of regenerative agriculture. This development offers food and agriculture companies a consistent and credible way to measure and report their climate mitigation efforts in supply chains, addressing previous uncertainty.
Expected to take effect in 2027, the LSRS will require rigorous accounting for land-based emissions and carbon removals. Companies will need to report these separately and provide evidence of removals, including accounting for reversals like wildfires through buffer pools. This enhances the integrity of climate claims.
Proponents highlight significant economic benefits for farmers. Some ranchers are reportedly earning more from the carbon their land stores than from their cattle operations. This has led to substantial payments to farmers from corporate buyers for sequestered carbon, fostering greater investment in regenerative practices.
