October 2023
Bend, Oregon, Oct. 24, 2023 – Yesterday, the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) released A General Assessment of the Role of Agriculture and Forestry in the U.S. Carbon Markets (PDF, 1.3 MB), a comprehensive look at current market activity, barriers to participation, and opportunities to improve access to carbon markets for farmers and forest landowners. The report is the first of USDA’s deliverables under the Growing Climate Solutions Act (GCSA), which was signed into law on December 29, 2022, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. Lindahl Reed is proud to have supported the development of this report.
As part of a broader effort to combat climate change, carbon markets offer a promising tool to achieve net-zero emissions. Farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners can generate carbon credits by adopting practices to reduce emissions or sequester carbon on their land, and carbon markets may provide them new income opportunities through carbon credit sales. Purchasing these carbon credits may also help companies achieve voluntary greenhouse gas reduction goals.
“Lindahl Reed has been working collaboratively with USDA to assesses the current state of voluntary carbon markets in the United States,” said Nicole R Hough, Lindahl Reed’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We hope the analysis in this report will help USDA reduce the barriers to agricultural carbon markets and expand market participation.”
Today’s report identifies a variety of barriers that have hindered the participation of agriculture in these markets. Among other things, farmers face limited returns on investment due to high transaction costs in carbon markets, including the costs of greenhouse gas quantification, verification, and reporting. However, a clear assessment of these barriers gives federal agencies, scientists, farmers and other partners valuable insight into what kinds of solutions can facilitate increased and more beneficial participation by farmers.
Lindahl Reed is an SBA certified 8(a) participant, SDB, WOSB, and EDWOSB that provides program management, scientific and technical, and management advisory services to federal, state, institutional, and commercial customers. We offer expertise in the health, energy, and environmental markets. Lindahl Reed was founded on the belief that we can advance a safer, healthier, and more resilient and sustainable world. Our solutions keep our homeland secure, make our communities healthier, increase energy resilience, and help to protect our environment.
