That’s the message that David Miller, director of research & commodity services from the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, will be delivering at the Australian Grains Industry Conference (AGIC), in Melbourne from July 28-30.

“Agricultural production practices, such as continuous no-till and grass-ands management, can increase the amount of carbon sequestered in the soil," he says.

“Agricultural producers can have an impact on the acceptance of agricultural offsets into carbon programs, and should work with researchers, emerging carbon exchanges and government agencies to develop protocols for offsets that are workable for producers as well as meeting the quality standards necessary for carbon markets.”

As the Chief Science Officer for AgraGate Climate Credits Corporation, Mr Miller has been instrumental in developing carbon credit protocols for agriculture and developing the contracts and aggregation services so that farmers, ranchers and landowners can participate in carbon programs.

Mr Miller serves on the Offset Committee of the Chicago Climate Exchange and is a member of several working groups that are developing carbon policy proposals.

During the past four years, participants in the Chicago Climate Exchange have developed and implemented protocols for no-till grasslands and rangeland management, afforestation, managed forests, agricultural methane destruction at livestock facilities, and biomass substitution for coal.

“Iowa producers have made great progress. They have enrolled, had projects verified, credits registered and traded and have been paid for it," he says.

“This is substantial achievement toward the development of a new market along with the infrastructure required to have a well functioning and successful market."

* To register for the conference, visit www.ausgrainsconf.com