If looking at just the financials, carbon farming may not look that attractive. On-farm practices designed to remove carbon from the air and store it in the soil and plant material can be a bit pricey.  

While there are U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) cost-share programs and carbon credit markets to help offset expenses, financial incentives typically don’t cover the total price of implementation.

So why consider it?  

Some reasons may include the additional benefits of minimizing soil erosion, nutrient run-off and improving water quality, as well as other environmental co-benefits that could prove more valuable to a farmer than the net cost of implementing the practice, said Alejandro Plastina, Iowa State University (ISU) Extension economist.

Plastina presented a session on the interaction of USDA programs and carbon payments during an ISU Pro Ag Outlook...