"WINNIPEG, Manitoba/CHICAGO - The biggest global agriculture companies are competing on a new front: enticing farmers to join programs that keep atmosphere-warming carbon dioxide in the soil.

Fertilizer producers Nutrien Ltd (NTR.TO) and Yara (YAR.OL), agribusiness giant Cargill Inc (CARG.UL), and seed and chemical dealers Corteva Inc (CTVA.N) and Bayer AG (BAYGn.DE) are paying growers for every acre of land dedicated to trapping carbon underground, known as sequestering it. The companies' ambitions stretch from the United States to Canada, Brazil, Europe and India, executives told Reuters.

Farmers capture carbon by planting off-season crops, tilling the ground less and using fertilizer more efficiently. They log their practices on digital platforms to generate a carbon credit. Agricultural companies use the credits to offset the climate impact of other parts of their businesses or sell them to companies looking to reduce their own carbon footprints."

Rod Nickel and Karl Plume report for Reuters October 25, 2021. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Factbox: Big Ag Woos Farmers For Carbon Programs" (Reuters) [3]

"Infrastructure Bill Seen as Way to Pay Farmers to Cut Water Use" (Bloomberg Environment) [4]

"A Biodiesel Boom (And Conundrum)" (NPR) [5]