State farmers can join carbon credit program
Barney Lavin is a fifth-generation farmer in western Racine County who tries to run his 250-acre Angus cow-calf and grain operation in an environmentally friendly way.
Lavin, 57, has restored some land to wetlands and last year went a step further -- by enrolling 31 acres in the Farmers Union Carbon Credit Program, in which credits are bought and sold on the Chicago Climate Exchange.
Other Wisconsin farmers also have the opportunity to join the program, in which the Farmers Union collects carbon credits from farmers who use no-till crop production, convert croplands to grass, manage native rangelands sustainably, plant trees or capture methane from manure.
Businesses, governments or others that join the national program agree to cap carbon emissions and reduce total emissions every year. If they exceed their limit, they can buy credits from farmers or others that earn them.
"This is a Wisconsin family farm. We border Eagle Lake, which is one reason I think it is important to use conservation practices," Lavin said in a phone interview.
"We in the agricultural community need to accept responsibility and do our part to reverse this global climate change problem, if not only for ourselves, for future generations."
He earns between $3 and $5 per acre for leaving hay and grass land unplowed, thus keeping carbon stored in the ground instead of releasing it into the atmosphere.
"The financial benefit is small, and the rate fluctuates with the price of carbon," Lavin explained. "But I am not contributing to global warming, because I make up for emissions from driving tractors and other equipment. That is the biggest reason I am involved."
The Farmers Union program was approved by the Chicago Climate Exchange in 2006 to collect and market blocks of carbon credits through the exchange, which is the world's first greenhouse gas emissions registry, reduction and trade system. Participation is voluntary, but once contracts are signed, they are legally binding on all parties.
Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton and Wisconsin Farmers Union President Sue Bietlich were visiting the Cambridge and Sturtevant areas this week to promote the plan.
"We are intent on ensuring that farmers across the state know the options available to them with this innovative program," Lawton said in a written statement.
After farmers sign up, independent verifiers determine how many tons of greenhouse gas emissions are saved through each farmer's efforts and those tons are converted to carbon contracts. The credits earned are then sold by the Farmers Union on behalf of the farmers, who earn on average several hundred to $1,000 per year, an amount that is expected to increase because of potential emission regulation.
"It's really quite simple," Bietlich said. "Farmers emit less, businesses buy the right to emit a little more, and the emissions even out today and go down overall every year."
To date, the Farmers Union has sold more than $7.5 million in carbon credits nationwide through the Chicago Climate Exchange and over 3.5 million acres have been enrolled in the Farmers Union Carbon Credit Program.
A spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Farmers Union estimated that about 100 farmers in the state have enrolled in the program.
The Farmers Union is beginning a new enrollment program, with contracts to run from 2008 through 2012.
Wisconsin farmers who want to participate in the program can visit www.wisconsinfarmersunion.com and click on Carbon Credits, or call the Farmers Union at 715-723-5561.
