CARBONSENSE
CARBON
SENSE
Welcome to the CarbonSense section of ILSoyAdvisor.com. The ILSoyAdvisor team designed this as a third-party resource for farmers and ag professionals to understand how carbon markets work, which practices sequester carbon and how to implement those practices on your farm.
WHY CARBON?
Many companies and countries have committed to carbon neutrality and carbon negativity within the next decade.
Carbon offset trading through carbon markets is just one tool that will be utilized to reduce GHG emissions in the coming decades.
A carbon offset is defined as an instrument representing the reduction, avoidance, or sequestration of one metric tonne of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) or greenhouse gas (GHG) equivalent.
Row Crop Agriculture and Carbon Sequestration
This video from US Soy (a collaboration between USB and USSEC) demonstrates how soybeans can be utilized to sequester or trap carbon dioxide in the soil. However, a conventional tillage, corn and bean field in Illinois sequesters less than 0.10 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per acre according to the COMET Model which estimates agricultural carbon sequestration.
No-Till & Cover Cropping
According to work by the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership implementation of no-till and cover crops could allow for additional carbon to be sequestered in the soil.
Practice | National Average Sequestered tonnes CO2 per acre | Illinois Average Sequestered CO2 | |
---|---|---|---|
No-Till (NT) | 0.49 tonnes CO2 per acre | Intensive Till to No-Till 0.74 tonnes CO2 per acre |
Reduced Till to No-Till 0.57 tonnes CO2 per acre |
Cover Crop (CC) | 0.37 tonnes per acre | Legume Cover Crop 0.68 tonnes CO2 per acre |
Non-legume Cover Crop 0.5 tonnes CO2 per acre |
1 Swan et al., 2019, available at http://comet-planner.nrel.colostate.edu/COMET-Planner_Report_Final.pdf and http://comet-planner.com/, ranges provided for general reference and should not be considered additive or field-specific

COVER CROPS
Cover crops allow the soil to continually receive CO2 from the atmosphere.

NO-TILL
No-till prevents carbon dioxide from leaving the soil.
RECENT CARBON POSTS





TRANSITIONING TO SOIL HEALTH SYSTEMS
COMMON CARBON MARKET PRACTICE CHANGES
*Recommended in-field strategies for achieving NLRS goals
Fertilizer
Application Timing*
Reduced Rate*
Use of Inhibitors
Use of Organic Fertilizer or Compost
Cover Crops
Grass*
Legume
Interseed
Perennial*
Cover Crop Termination (planting green, burn down, mechanical)
Tillage
Change in Type*
Change in Frequency*
No-Till*
Rotation
Added Crops
Reduced Fallow Periods
Added Perennials
Disclaimer: Table does not contain the complete list of recommended practices for carbon sequestration or N – P runoff reduction. Please refer to specific programs for a complete list of requirements.
MINIMUM TILLAGE CONSIDERATIONS
Tillage does not have to be cut out completely in a soil health system. Obvious issues to repair fields or smooth out new tile lines is needed to be able to farm. Tillage can be used as a tool to accomplish immediate needs, but when addressing long term benefits, intensive tillage may be doing more harm than good. When evaluating reducing your tillage, consider what goals you want to accomplish. By minimizing disturbance your soils can build aggregate stability, improve water holding capacity, increase infiltration, and keep soil in place. Some fields with highly erodible slopes are necessary to no-till but fields that are flat and high yielding might benefit in a minimum till system. Minimum tillage or conservation tillage is defined as practices that leave at least 30% crop residue on the surface. This can help intercept rainfall to reduce water erosion, reduce wind erosion, and help organisms like earthworms thrive. Some examples of reduced tillage practices include:
NO-TILLAGE CONSIDERATIONS
COVER CROPS
Many resources are available to provide in-depth guidance on cover crop species selection, rates, planting, termination, and more. In this section, we summarize some key points to consider, but direct you to the Resource section for more information.
NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT
LOOKBACK CREDITS
PRACTICES YOU CAN CHANGE EVEN IF YOU ARE A LONG-TERM NO-TILLER OR COVER CROPPER
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
With carbon programs there is a lot to consider. Whether you are already enrolled, or just looking to get started, take a look at these commonly asked questions and the answers provided by Sarah Sellars, a third-year Ph.D. student studying agriculture and applied economics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. These can provide helpful general information about carbon programs and provide a base of information you may need to navigate the market successfully.