Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


No-till carbon credits to be marketed

Thursday, December 20, 2012

by BETTER FARMING STAFF

From now until March 15, 2013, Ontario no-till farmers have an opportunity to apply to become part of NorAg Resources Inc. carbon credit rewards program. The benefit, especially for farmers who have been practicing no-till for the last 10 years, could amount to thousands of dollars.

Ben Currelly, president and CEO of the Port Hope-based NorAg, hopes they will be able to attract enough farmers to aggregate one million acres into the program, which is only being offered in Ontario. They also hope they will be able to grandfather the benefit as far back as 10 years so farmers will gain not just from the last year of no-till farming but for up to 10 years.

“The verifier says we can go back 10 years,” Currelly says. However, the credits won’t be worth the same from year to year. Credits from 2002 will not be worth as much as credits from 2012.

They are marketing the credits to other companies such as banks and airlines. They will pay the farmers once the companies they sell to pay them (and they deduct their costs). The return will depend on the markets at the time of the sale.

Doing the math, Currelly says if the credits were marketed for 70 cents per acre (an arbitrary number) and a farmer had 1,000 acres under no-till, the benefit would be $700. If the farmer was able to verify 10 years of no-till, that could be worth $7,000.

While they hope to aggregate a large number of acres and go back up to 10 years, the window for this approach might not be left open for long.

“In the future,” Currelly says, “the sale of carbon credits will only be available for behavior that has changed. If you went from being a guy that tilled to no-till you might get credits that one time.” He adds, however, that such a restriction is not yet a certainty.

While the program offers more of an incentive for farmers with large no-till operations, it  is open to any farmer practicing no-till. There is also an option for farmers to donate their share to the Canadian Food Grains Bank for a tax receipt.

To participate, farmers can register online at http://carbon.norag.ca where, the company website says, registration will take 15 to 20 minutes.

“We’re going to aggregate a whole group of acres,” Currelly says, “have them verified, that generates the credits.” He says the credits are listed and marketed to the highest bidder. The bidding process will be North American wide. BF

Current Issue

May 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

New board members for Ontario Pork

Friday, April 25, 2025

Ontario Pork, an association representing the 1,898 pork farms that market 5.9 million hogs in the province, has announced its new board lineup for 2025. As a Guelph, Ontario-headquartered organization, Ontario Pork is engaged in the areas of research, government representation,... Read this article online

Sheep farmers win Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers

Thursday, April 24, 2025

Sheep farmers and wool producers from Wallenstein, Ont. are Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2025. “It’s great to be recognized by your peers in the industry with an award like that,” Ryan Schill told Farms.com. “When we started the sheep farm, there were people questioning us... Read this article online

Ontario ag connections in the NHL playoffs

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

The 2025 NHL playoffs are underway, and some of hockey’s biggest names got their start on an Ontario farm or have invested in agriculture since becoming professional athletes. Farms.com went through each of the 16 playoff team rosters to uncover which players have a connection to... Read this article online

New Alcohol Trade Freedom in Ontario

Thursday, April 17, 2025

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has welcomed Ontario’s bold step in eliminating trade barriers and allowing direct alcohol sales to consumers. This new legislation aims to ease internal trade across provinces and support small businesses. One of the key changes... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top