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2021 August Snapshots
Pilot explores carbon markets
Ben Mergen milks
50 Holsteins, raises
a small herd of beef
cattle and grows
mostly corn, soybeans
and alfalfa on his
farm near Albany in
Stearns County. He’s
worked with Stearns
County SWCD staff
on a pilot project
designed to quantify
environmental benefits
of implementing soil
health practices.
A three-year NRCS
agreement helps to
subsidize the pilot
project’s enrollment
costs.
Photo Credits:
Ann Wessel, BWSR
Farmers who implement soil health practices could tap an emerging revenue
stream, earning credits for improvements that benefit water quality and
sequester carbon. The Sauk River watershed is one of a dozen U.S. pilot sites.
ALBANY — Stearns County farmer Ben private partnership of the ag supply
Natural Resources Mergen was among the first to sign and value chain, is seeking buyers as it
Conservation up for a pilot project that will quantify prepares for a 2022 launch. ESMC and
Service website: The Nature Conservancy developed
www.nrcs.usda.gov
environmental benefits of the cover
crops he’s implementing on his dairy the pilot to help farmers earn
USDA is an equal and beef operation. additional revenue for practices that
opportunity provider, improve soil health, sequester carbon
employer and lender. Verifying the carbon sequestration and and reduce pollutant-carrying field
water-quality improvements that result runoff. The pilot will fine-tune testing
from soil health practices will position protocols used to verify credits.
Mergen — and others within the Sauk
River watershed, one of about a dozen “Along with nitrogen-scavenging
pilot sites across the U.S. — to sell and nutrient-scavenging, keeping
credits on a national market. something living in the soil and
erosion control, it’s just another
The nonprofit Ecosystem Services aspect of cover crops that maybe will
Marketplace Consortium, a public- bring a profit,” Mergen said as he and
www.bwsr.state.mn.us 1
Ben Mergen and his daughter Ella checked a 13-acre soybean field on June 29 in Stearns County's Farming Township. Mergen planted the beans
directly into a living cover crop. Working with Stearns County SWCD staff and NRCS assistance, this year Mergen is trying cover crops on 90 acres. He’s
also among the first within the Sauk River watershed signed on to an NRCS-supported pilot project that could lead to another revenue source for the
farm: carbon credits.
“
daughter Ella checked a If there’s a way to cut back on your “I think it’s another avenue
soybean field. to reach farmers looking to
labor and your time ... and still be improve their resources. It’s
Mergen moved back to the profitable, maybe if you do have to take a yield also another opportunity to
farm 10 years ago from leverage additional financial
Indiana, where he’d been hit, between the fuel savings and the cost of
resources for our farmers as
”
working for Gavilon Grain. having the machinery, that should pan out. If they implement additional
At the time, his father, you get a payment on top of it from the conservation practices,”
Roger, was ready to cut Fuchs said.
ESMC, that only helps.
back. He still helps with The 50-acre enrollment on
fieldwork and twice-daily — Ben Mergen, Stearns County farmer
Mergen’s farm is also part
chores. But Mergen — a of All Acres for Our Water,
fifth-generation farmer — share programs,” said how that all will work.” which centers on the Backes
lives on the home place Leif Fixen, agriculture Lake subwatershed.
with his wife, Alicia — a strategy manager for TNC The pilot aims to enroll
full-time dental hygienist in in Minnesota, North Dakota 50,000 acres within the “What we’re trying to do
Melrose — and their three and South Dakota. Sauk River watershed, which is clean up the water —
daughters. drains to the Mississippi either stop erosion of soil or
The ESMC tool can be used River. The watershed was runoff of nutrients. That’s
The Mergens milk 50 for third-party valuation of chosen partly because where all of this will tie in
Holsteins and raise a beef carbon reduction or water- the Stearns County Soil & so that we can cut down
herd of 25 cow-calf pairs. quality improvement within Water Conservation District on the nitrates, whether
They raise about 500 acres a company’s supply chain. (SWCD) already was working it’s in groundwater or
of corn, soybeans, alfalfa Or it can generate tradeable with producers on All Acres whether it’s getting into a
and the occasional spring credits that can be sold to a for Our Water. Another stream and heading down
wheat crop. company. pilot designed to spur to the Mississippi and
With dairy, beef, corn and conservation practices, All out to the Gulf,” Mergen
“The farmer will be able to Acres for Our Water involves
soybeans, it’s exactly the said of the programs. “As
market each of those credits TNC and the Minnesota
sort of farm the pilot project far as benefits, besides
independently,” Fixen said. Land Trust.
is seeking. “Once the marketplace is what’s on the farm and
launched, you’ll be able By early summer, in our pocketbook, it’ll be
Funding from the USDA’s the environment with the
Natural Resources to sell your carbon credit, Stearns County SWCD
you’ll be able to sell a Administrator Dennis cleaner water, and then the
Conservation Service (NRCS), carbon capture has to do
The Nature Conservancy and water-quality credit — and Fuchs said enrollment
potentially even inside of totaled about 500 acres. with climate change.”
the Minnesota Department
of Agriculture cover costs that water-quality credit SWCD staff members Mergen first tried cover
associated with the three- you’ll be able to sell your contact landowners, offer crops five years ago with
year signup period, which nitrogen credit, you’ll be technical assistance and a 40-acre signup through
ends in 2022. able to sell your phosphorus help producers apply for NRCS’ Conservation
credit and you’ll be able to reimbursements. SWCD Stewardship Program.
“Right now, the big benefit sell your total suspended staff also helped with soil
is you get to the front solids credit. A lot of that is sampling, which will be “You kind of got paid to try
of the line for the cost- a little less known right now, repeated in five years. it, so there wasn’t a whole
www.bwsr.state.mn.us 2
“
lot of risk involved, which is
a nice way to start any kind ESMC Pilot Project Details
of project you don’t know
a whole lot about,” Mergen ENROLLMENT: Minnesota is one of about a dozen Environmental
said. states where the pilot project is underway. A handful
of other enrollments from watersheds in southwestern markets offer a
This season, his cover crop Minnesota was based on landowner interest. voluntary way
enrollments total 90 acres.
The programs in which he’s PILOT FUNDING: In Minnesota, funds from the USDA’s of achieving our
involved will generate about Natural Resources Conservation Service, the state desired air and
Department of Agriculture’s Minnesota Agricultural
$11,000 in assistance.
Water Quality Certification Program and The Nature water outcomes
He tried something new Conservancy leverage partners’ cost-share and at potentially the
on the 13-acre bean field: technical assistance. The three-year NRCS agreement
helps to subsidize enrollment costs.
lowest cost to
planting green. This spring
”
he seeded soybeans into a society.
PROJECT PARTNERS: In Minnesota, they include
living cover crop. Mergen
the Stearns County SWCD, AgCentric, Centra Sota
said the method required
Cooperative, the Environmental Initiative, Field to
closely watching the rye,
Market, the Headwaters Agriculture Sustainability — Leif Fixen, agriculture
which tends to take off Partnership, Houston Engineering, Land O’Lakes’
in the spring, but a well- strategy manager for
Truterra, MBOLD, Midwest Dairy, the Minnesota Milk
timed chemical application Producers Association, Syngenta and the University of
TNC in Minnesota, North
successfully killed the Minnesota Forever Green Initiative. Dakota and South Dakota
cover crop. The beans,
planted at the same time as POTENTIAL BUYERS: Buyers could include retailers
conventionally tilled fields, seeking to claim a zero-carbon net impact, or
were thriving in late June. municipalities that find it more affordable to
improve water quality via upstream credits vs. a new
“I’m hoping to get at least wastewater treatment plant.
half my ground covered in
cover crops, if not three-
quarters,” Mergen said of bought a strip-till machine. the microorganisms alive,”
Mergen said. The Minnesota Board of
his long-term goal. “I’m trying to be more Water and Soil Resources
His best advice to those profitable with less work. “I’m hoping to do some is among the ESMC pilot
considering soil health So cutting back on some custom work, maybe see project supporters. BWSR’s
practices: “Start small. Don’t of the fieldwork — that’s if some other people want mission is to improve
do more than you think you where I picked up that to try the strip-till,” he said.
and protect Minnesota’s
can handle in spring or fall.” strip-till machine. I’m “No-tilling soybeans looks
hoping to get away from full like it’s working pretty well water and soil resources
This year, Mergen further tillage and leave as much so far. We’ll see what the by working in partnership
committed to soil health cover on as I can and keep yield monitor says, but so with local organizations and
practices when he became a some growing roots in the far it looks like a pretty nice private landowners. www.
cover crop seed dealer and ground. I think that keeps stand.” bwsr.state.mn.us
www.bwsr.state.mn.us 3
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