General Eligibility
Each field enrolled in this Program must have been under agricultural production for at least 10 years prior to planting the program crop.
Each field enrolled in this Program must NOT be enrolled under another carbon or ecosystem benefits monetization program outside of the Indigo programs portfolio for the current crop season.
The ownership of fields enrolled in this Program cannot be transferred without also transferring obligations under this agreement.
States
All states in the continental US (Hawaii and Alaska are not eligible).
Land Types
Enrolled fields must be crop land and have been in agriculture production for at least 10 years. At this time, we do not service rangeland, pastureland, orchards, vineyards, or other afforested areas. Fruits and vegetables are also ineligible.
Eligible Crops
If a crop is not listed on the table below, it is ineligible for the program.
Alfalfa | Barley | Canola (Fall & Spring planted) | Wheat (Winter & Spring) |
Corn | Cotton | Dry Edible Beans | Triticale |
Dry Field Peas | Flax | Hemp | Sugar Beets |
Millet | Oats | Peanuts | Sunflowers |
Rye | Sorghum | Soybeans |
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Minimum Acreage
150-acre minimum
Qualifying Practice Changes
You can enroll your fields in our carbon program by either implementing a qualifying practice in the upcoming crop season or if you’ve implemented a qualifying practice since the conclusion of last season.
Why do I need to have a practice change? There are two primary reasons.
1) Valuable carbon credits are in high demand and buyers are only willing to purchase credits that demonstrate a change. Credits generated as a result of practice changes are valuable because they represent new benefits to soil carbon and emissions, above and beyond “business as usual.”
2) These types of valuable credits are extremely rare – that’s why buyers come to Indigo and are willing to pay high prices. That’s also why we’re able to guarantee a credit payment minimum. Past carbon markets have been unsuccessful because buyers did not see the credits as truly valuable without the practice change requirement.
When can I adopt a new sustainable practice to be eligible for the program?
You are able to enroll in our program if you already made a practice change on your fields, as long as it's within the 12-month window, or you plan to add or change a practice in an upcoming season.
Already made a practice change prior to enrollment
The most important date to remember is when a field with a practice change was last harvested prior to the practice change; the day after last harvest is the start of your practice change window. You then have 12 months to enroll in Carbon by Indigo based on the start date of the practice change window. For example, if a grower harvests wheat on July 7th, 2023, their practice change window “start date” begins July 8th, 2023. They have until July 8th, 2024 to fully enroll in Carbon by Indigo and count any qualifying practice changes made between their 2023 harvest and subsequent cash crop planting.
Haven't implemented a practice change on your fields
Enroll as soon as possible, we can work with you on choosing the right practice to maximize your carbon credit opportunity. There is no time limit after enrollment to implement an eligible practice window.
Cover Crops
First-time cover crop | Introduce a cover crop into a field’s rotation for the first time that has a season length (planting to natural or induced termination) of more than 30 days. Note: This means planting a cover crop on the field for the first time, not adding another cover crop species.
Examples of qualifying scenarios:
Agronomic benefits: Planting a cover crop is an excellent way to prevent erosion, maintain soil microbial activity, and continue the accumulation of carbon outside of the cash crop season. A well-established cover crop with high biomass can help maximize soil protection.
Recommendation: The longer a cover crop grows, the more benefit it will have on the field in terms of soil health and weed suppression. |
Longer duration of cover crops | Planting 14 or more days earlier than historical planting of a cover crop, or terminating 7 or more days later than historical.
Examples of qualifying scenarios:
Agronomic benefits: Increasing the duration of cover crops will reduce the fallow period in your field and increase the amount of time you are using the available sunlight to build healthier and more resilient soil. Plus, 7 – 10 days of more cover crop growth can be the difference of 6” – 18” of biomass, which is a key driver to store more carbon in the soil.
Recommendation: The longer you can keep a living root in the ground to convert sunlight and precipitation into plant biomass, the greater the impact on soil health and carbon sequestration.
Extending the duration of a cover crop is a great way to qualify for the Carbon program if you currently plant cover crops. |
Add a legume to a cover crop | Practice change: Add a legume species to an existing cover crop blend that does not currently have a legume.
Example of qualifying scenarios:
Agronomic benefits: The primary benefits of increased cover crop diversity are increased plant photosynthetic capacity, as well as increased soil microbial diversity. Adding a legume specifically will also produce an N credit for the following cash crop.
Recommendation: There are many options to consider when thinking about adding species to an existing cover crop mix. Thinking about the balance between plant groups (i.e., grasses, brassicas, broadleaves, legumes, etc.) is an important consideration as well as the preceding and subsequent cash crops to avoid a “green bridge” for pests.
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New crop in rotation | Add a new eligible cash crop to the rotation while not increasing the annual fallow period by greater than 30 days |
Tillage
No till | No form of tillage was done on field(s) that had previously been tilled |
Delayed till | Timing of tillage events to occur later in the season than in previous years
Examples of qualifying scenarios: Following soybeans, a grower used to make a single fall tillage pass and one spring tillage pass. They move to two spring passes and eliminate the fall tillage. In this example, the grower delays their tillage from fall to spring without increasing the total number of tillage passes.
Agronomic benefits: Delaying tillage after harvest, without increasing the total number of passes, gives soil more time to develop soil structure. Soil structure and soil pore formation are both vital drivers of soil microbial activity. When soils are left undisturbed, they can maximize soil structure and increase soil microbial activity.
Recommendation: Delaying tillage after harvest for greater than 90 days allows those soil ecosystem functions to continue longer and increases soil organic matter and soil organic carbon levels. |
Reduced tillage passes | Number of passes on field(s) was less than previous years
Examples of qualifying scenarios: Following soybeans, a grower used to make a single fall tillage pass and two spring tillage passes. They change to a single spring pass. The total tillage passes drop from 3 to 1, this is a qualifying change. Note: Reducing the number of passes requires a full pass reduction based on the average of your historical tillage.
Agronomic benefits: Fewer tillage passes can help reduce soil disturbance which leads to better soil structure, soil pores, and soil organic matter. This helps increase carbon sequestration rates, water infiltration, water storage, and soil carrying capacity.
Recommendation: To have a greater positive impact on soil health and reduce oxidation, try to combine tillage pass reductions with extending the time between the first tillage event to the next. |
Reduced tillage impact | Move a single tillage pass from a higher disturbance class of implement to a lower soil disturbance class of implement.
Examples of qualifying scenarios: If a grower uses an inline ripper and changes to a rolling basket, it qualifies. Note: Dramatically reducing tillage (deep till to no-till) isn’t eligible as the shock to the system can have unintended carbon impacts. Specifically, moldboard plow to no-till and heavy offset disc to no-till don’t count. In those situations, it is best to step down through reduced tillage for a couple of years.
Agronomic benefits: Using lower disturbance implements reduces soil disturbance and better protects soil structure.
Recommendation: The bigger the practice change, the higher the credit generation potential. The biggest change that can be done is deep ripper to no-till. Remember: Moldboard plow to no-till and heavy offset disc to no-till are both ineligible.
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Nitrogen Application
Delayed nitrogen applications | Practice change: Reduce the number of nitrogen applications greater than 30 days before planting without increasing the total number of applications or increasing total N applied.
Examples of qualifying scenarios:
Agronomic benefits: The longer any form of N is left in a fallow field, there is opportunity for leaching and N₂O emissions. Reducing the time between when a fertilizer is applied and when there is a living root in the ground to utilize that fertility will result in combating nutrient leaching and N₂O emissions.
Recommendation: Moving your nitrogen application(s) closer to planting provides the plant with more access to nutrients with less of a chance of leaching. |
Nitrification inhibitors and controlled release products | Use a nitrification inhibitor or slow-release product on the majority of applied nitrogen on fields where one was previously not utilized
Not eligible as a stand-alone practice change. Must be stacked with another practice. |
Nitrogen application method improvement | Move to an application method that reduces nitrogen losses
Not eligible as a stand-alone practice change. Must be stacked with another practice. |
Unique Scenarios
Conservation Program
You must disclose the program your desired enrolled field participates in or receives government-funded enhancement payments.
Some programs are stackable with Indigo Carbon like CSP, EQIP, or another NRCS program. There are some exceptions, such as CRP and WRP, which are ineligible. CRP participation is only ineligible on the field level, not the entity level.
Conservation Compliance
If your fields are classified as Highly Erodible Lands or Wetlands, the field is eligible but certification from AD-1026 and/or proof of federal crop insurance must be confirmed.
Uncommon Situations
Histosols
A field can have up to 10% histosols and still be eligible. Any fields over that percentage are disqualified. You can work with our Customer Success team to edit out where histosols are in your field to make them eligible.
Land Conversion
The ecosystem cannot have been cleared in the last 10 years. This field may be considered eligible once the 10 years is over. If you implement a new practice change in "Year 11,” you can start earning carbon credits.
Expanded tile drainage
The repair or replacement of preexisting tile drainage on participating fields is permissible; however, the expansion of drainage or introduction of tile drainage to a field that previously was untiled renders the affected fields ineligible.
Notice of Violation
If you receive a notice of violation in the year of your indicated practice this may make the field ineligible.
FAQs
Why isn't my crop(s) eligible right now?
For the time being, we are only able to effectively measure carbon sequestration for the specific crops on the eligibility list. We are excited to expand Carbon by Indigo into new crops in the future.
Why are pastureland/rangeland/forested land/orchards/etc. not eligible?
For the time being, we are only able to effectively measure crop practices on cropland. We are working hard to include additional land types in the Carbon by Indigo program in the future. Stay on our mailing list to keep informed on any future additions to the program that may be interesting to you and your operation.
Do I need to delete my ineligible fields?
You do not need to delete ineligible fields. You can keep them mapped in the site at no cost and if they become eligible in the future, you will only need to add them to your contract and begin entering the required records.