The more than 2,300 farmers and ranchers that are part of the National Farmers Union Carbon Credit Program are getting a payout this week. For their efforts to capture and store carbon dioxide in their soil, these farmers and ranchers have earned $5,876,825 in 2006 and 2007, through a purely voluntary program.

Tom Buis, the president of the National Farmers Union, commented during an interview with the Cattle Network: "As conservation leaders, we know agriculture can play an important part in offsetting greenhouse gases in our environment today. Now, through innovative soil stewardship activities and the carbon offsets market through the Chicago Climate Exchange, producers are being rewarded for their environmental stewardship."

The credits were produced through no-till cropping practices, as well as by converting cropland to long-term grass stands. The acres used to generate carbon credits were verified by a third-party organization, registered and sold on the Chicago Climate Exchange. These acres will provide payouts for their owners for the next three to five years, based on the price of the offsets traded. So far, 2.8 million acres have been enrolled in the National Farmers Union Carbon Credit Program. The amount of carbon dioxide stored in those acres have offset the estimated annual emissions of 320,000 cars.

Image — National Farmers Union