Climate Action Reserve approves Indigo Ag’s enhanced model, resulting in added value per acre

    June 12, 2024

    Major Milestone

    February marked Indigo Ag’s third issuance of carbon credits through the Climate Action Reserve (CAR). Thanks to the work of hundreds of farmers across 28 states in the United States, as well as trusted partners including Corteva, GROWMARK, and Steward Link, this issuance brought the cumulative impact of Indigo’s Carbon program to nearly 300K metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent sequestered or abated, equivalent to taking 65,000 gas cars off the road for a year.

    Unique Market Position

    Growing the number of acres, fields, participating growers, and credits generated with each issuance, Indigo Ag remains the only project to generate Soil Enrichment Protocol credits through increasing soil organic carbon in addition to reducing emissions of other GHGs. With each issuance, we learn, adapt, and continuously improve our processes and models. Recently the Climate Action Reserve approved an enhanced version of our model, which includes critical updates to generate even greater outcomes.

    Scientific Leadership

    From the start, Indigo Ag has led with science, partnering with leading independent registries to establish a more data-intensive, scientifically rigorous approach to driving incentives to carbon farming. Five years later, we remain committed to driving continuous improvement in our product experience, science, environmental modeling, and thought leadership.

    Model Enhancements

    As we’ve scaled this program, our Science & Technology team has enhanced our already approved model, DayCent-CR, for quantifying emissions and soil carbon fluxes. By recalibrating our environmental models with novel information from peer-reviewed academic research, including more long-term site studies and incorporating additional greenhouse gas outcomes, and additional data collected through our programs, we can accurately predict and model both soil organic carbon and nitrous oxide fluxes, without bias. In May, the Climate Action Reserve approved the latest validated version of the model, DayCent-CR 1.1.0.

     

    "Soil enrichment activities hold tremendous potential for sequestering carbon. The Climate Action Reserve’s Soil Enrichment Protocol draws from science, accurate data calculations and industry best practices, which means projects and credits issued under the protocol are high quality and high integrity,” said Kristen Gorguinpour, VP Programs at the Climate Action Reserve. “Models, like the DayCent-CR model validated by Indigo, undergo a thorough review process before being approved to ensure they only strengthen the protocol and projects under it. And a strong protocol with standards and models developed and respected by industry experts creates market confidence in the rigor of soil enrichment emissions accounting.”

     

    Consistent validation and continued execution are hallmarks of the Carbon by Indigo program. Indigo Ag’s DayCent-CR model is: 

    • The first model to achieve independent expert validation and approval under the CAR SEP
    • The only model to complete this milestone three times with three rounds of expert review
    • Successfully used to repeatedly generate registered ag soil credits under such rigorous calibration and validation standards

    Value to Stakeholders

    Validation and execution are crucial. While simplicity is vital for our growers and partners, scientific rigor is everything for the environment and for the 18+ global buyers of our credits. CAR’s validation requirements add complexity but also ensure high certainty in quantifying greenhouse gas emissions and soil organic carbon, which is essential for buyers and farmers. Making claims based on carbon offsets without registry approval is simply not credible. CAR’s recent approval of Indigo’s latest validated version of the model is possible because of what we have learned from having scaled the program. The approval lets us maximize efficiency without compromising integrity. Independent review and approval is a necessary step for sustainability programs, but execution is key.

    Increased Value

    The model validation report means increased value to customers by:

    • Providing more value for farmers and credit buyers.
    • Expanding the crops, practices, and outputs validated
    • Increasing sensitivity to better capture all farm activities, including perennial alfalfa and enhanced efficiency nitrogen fertilizers, supporting national expansion of the Carbon program

     

    We are dedicated to bringing the best available science and latest technological advancements to our programs. This validation of the latest version of DayCent-CR is an example of how we use science to expand programs, deliver more impact to companies with climate commitments, and bring more value to farmers expanding sustainable agriculture." – A.J. Kumar, VP Sustainability Sciences at Indigo Ag

     

    Our Commitment

    At Indigo Ag, we have issued nearly 300K offset credits, and have the tools and expertise to quantify reductions and removals in corporate inventories as scope 3 guidance becomes finalized. Our third expert-reviewed validation report will increase ROI for farmers, agribusinesses and corporations, reinforcing our commitment to continuous improvement backed by science.

    Indigo Ag’s mission is to Harness Nature to Help Farmers Sustainably Feed the Planet, and in that pursuit, we always look for innovative ways for science and technology to drive sustainability and profitability in agriculture.

    Ready to get involved in our Sustainability Solutions? Get in touch with our team.