Are you curious about funding for best management practices through the Nebraska Soil Carbon Project? Cooperating producers in the Upper Big Blue or Central Platte NRD can earn up to $45 per acre for practices such as cover crops, no-till, and diverse cropping rotations.

Since the program’s launch in 2020, the goal has been to team up with 100 producers to install 100,000 acres of new soil health practices on central Nebraska cropland over five years. Funding is still available, and more acres will be added in the months ahead. Increased cropland soil carbon has multiple on and off-farm benefits, including more stable yields; improved nutrient, soil, and water status; and environmental stabilization. Soil health practices increase soil carbon. Markets are emerging to link soil carbon buyers and suppliers. 

If you’re a producer interested in applying for this funding, or you’d just like to learn more about the project, join representatives from the NRDs and The Nature Conservancy for a brief overview and Q&A on Tuesday, March 14. There will be two, 30-minute learning sessions about opportunities with the Nebraska Soil Carbon Project. No need to attend both, just pick the one that suits your schedule best. Sessions will be held at 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.  The events will be hybrid, so you can attend in-person at the NRD office or connect virtually from anywhere via Zoom. Email info@upperbigblue.org or call 402-362-6601 if you plan to attend.

A brief overview of the Nebraska Soil Carbon Project will be presented by Jacob Fritton, water and agriculture program manager for The Nature Conservancy. This presentation will be followed by time for questions from producers who are enrolled in the program as well as those who are interested in enrolling. Representatives from the NRDs as well as NRCS will be available to respond to questions as well.  It will be a great opportunity to learn what is available and determine if funding through the program would benefit your farming operation.

The Nebraska Soil Carbon Project is a collaboration with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the Upper Big Blue and Central Platte NRDs, The Nature Conservancy, Ecosystem Services Market Consortium (ESMC), Cargill, Target, and McDonald's. 

For more information, contact:

• Jacob Fritton, The Nature Conservancy, jfritton@tnc.org, (308) 529-2636
• Marie Krausnick, Upper Big Blue NRD, mebel@upperbigblue.org, 402-362-6601.