Setting the Standard: Indigo’s Commitment to Transparency in Agricultural Carbon Markets

The soil carbon market holds tremendous promise to scale regenerative agriculture across the US. This creates new revenue streams for farmers, helps corporations meet climate commitments, and can drive meaningful environmental outcomes—from carbon removals and emissions reductions to water conservation.

Even today, the market is still evolving. Farmers are offered many different types of carbon contracts—often without clear visibility into how programs operate, how environmental assets are generated and sold, or how and when payments are determined. While carbon markets continue to develop, conservation practices themselves are not new. Farmers are the original conservationists and have long understood and implemented these practices to steward their land.

Indigo’s role is to help monetize practice changes, which help offset the adoption and continuation of these practices, which can require new equipment, seed, management costs creating reliable economic opportunities that support farmers in adopting and sustaining these conservation efforts once again.

Farmers have been clear about carbon programs: they want transparency, simplicity, and trust.

At Indigo, we agree. And that’s why we are proud to be a founding partner of Ag Carbon Transparent—an industry-led initiative designed to bring clarity, integrity, and comparability to agricultural carbon markets.

A Carbon Market That Works for Farmers and Buyers

Through Carbon by Indigo, we produce the highest-quality agricultural soil carbon credits in the market. Our credits are grounded in rigorous measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification standards. They deliver durable climate impact and measurable environmental co-benefits—including water quality and crop resilience.

Just as importantly, our model is built to work for farmers:

• We prioritize returning the majority of carbon credit revenue directly to farmers and provide flexibility through a range of sustainable program options designed to meet their individual operations and goals.
• We are independent of government programs.
• We are input-agnostic and do not require any products, service or technology purchases.
• We operate an outcome-based program, paying farmers for the carbon sequestered through their adopted practices.

This structure ensures aligned incentives between farmers and corporations. Farmers are rewarded for real, measured outcomes. Corporations reduce risk by supporting verified carbon removals, reductions, and environmental improvements.

Transparency is not just a principle—it is foundational to soil carbon market integrity.

Why Ag Carbon Transparent Matters

Launched in March 2026, Ag Carbon Transparent introduces the first third-party verification that evaluates carbon program contracts and enrollment materials against these principles. For the first time, farmers will be able to compare participating programs with confidence.

This initiative strengthens the soil carbon entire market:

• Farmers gain clarity.
• Programs demonstrate integrity.
• Buyers gain confidence in quality and risk management.
  

As a founding partner, Indigo has supported this effort from the beginning because we believe transparency is essential to scaling climate-smart agriculture responsibly.

The Transparency Principles

Ag Data Transparent Verification evaluates programs against ten core principles designed to protect farmers and build trust across the ecosystem. See Indigo's profile here.

1. Farmer Education.
Programs should support farmers’ understanding of carbon markets, data requirements, and how carbon assets are created and sold.
2. Simple Contracts
Contracts must be clear, consolidated, and free of unnecessary complexity or restrictive NDAs.
3. Ownership
Farmers must understand land ownership requirements, carbon asset ownership, and what rights transfer when assets are sold.
4. Measurement, Monitoring, Reporting & Verification
Programs must provide transparency around how carbon assets are quantified, what data is required, and what ongoing monitoring is expected.
5. Transparency of Operations
Farmers should know what is being measured, their obligations, how their data is used, and whether participation limits future opportunities.
6. Flexibility
Programs should allow reasonable agronomic flexibility and clarify whether fields or crop years can participate in multiple programs.
7. Identity of the Provider
Farmers must know exactly who they are contracting with and how data flows across affiliates.
8. Identity of Partners
Programs should disclose what types of third parties may access or use farm data and provide specific entities upon request.
9. Payment
Contracts must clearly explain how payments are calculated, when they occur, and how credit sale proceeds are shared.
10. Termination
Farmers must understand how to exit a program, what penalties apply, and what happens to their data and obligations.

A New Verification That Builds Trust In Carbon

Ag Carbon Transparent was developed in partnership with Ag Data Transparent and the National Corn Growers Association to leverage industry connections and create a simpler, more transparent pathway for farmers to engage in carbon programs.

The verification process is a third-party review of a carbon program’s contracts and enrollment materials against established principles. This is not marketing language — it is a structured, objective evaluation designed to help farmers make informed decisions that align with their operations and management goals.

• Clear comparisons between programs
• Greater confidence before signing contracts
• Improved understanding of financial outcomes
• Understanding what questions to ask a carbon company before signing a contract

Indigo’s Commitment to Leading with Transparency

At Carbon by Indigo, we deliver high-quality, rigorously verified soil carbon credits; return the majority of credit revenue directly to farmers; align incentives through outcome-based payments; and generate measurable carbon and water benefits across more than 8 million enrolled acres. To date, Indigo and its affiliates have paid more than $40 million to farmers. Through our founding partnership with Ag Data Transparent, we are also helping build the infrastructure for a more open, comparable, and accountable agricultural carbon market. Because transparency isn’t a competitive advantage—it’s the foundation for a market built to last.