CFS conservation agronomist Dean Frank Ken Lohmann, and his son Jason Lohmann, talk in a field with a cover crop of wheat that has been planted over with field corn about six weeks ago Wednesday, May 29, 2024 Zumbrota, Minn. Lohmann Farms uses smaller point sweeps on thier field cultivator that burrow only 3-4 inches into the soil instead of the 10-14 inches they used to use. They also plant corn directly into fields with a previously grown cover crop of winter wheat.
“We bridge the gap between what the downstream company wants and the farmers we’re working with,” said Truterra president Jamie Leifker. Those customers include Campbell’s, Bel Brands and Purina pet food, who pay for data and carbon credits that in turn pay farmers for conservation practices — helping to take the risk out of changes to their growing practices.
“It started out with just data collection, and that has evolved into funding interventions,” Kowalski said. “We’re cost-sharing with the grower to make that practice change.” That’s the one area that gives some farmers pause when approached about the carbon program, Leifker said, but the data still belongs to the farmer. It is licensed and shared to give food companies the proof they need to report on climate progress and tout sustainability in their brands.