Bayer Carbon

Part of its ForGround platform, Bayer's carbon program aims to connect growers to benefits and opportunities.

About the program:

• Eligible practice changes include strip-till, no-till, and cover crops
• Minimum field size: 10 acres with no maximum
• Practice-based payments
• 5-year contract with flexibility for growers
• Annual cash payouts for verified practices

Program Differentiators

Participation in Bayer's ForGround program provides growers with agronomic support and cost-reduction benefits. ForGround expands sustainability opportunities beyond the carbon program, while building a peer-to-peer network for growers.

The Bayer carbon program, part of ForGround by Bayer, aims to provide simplicity, certainty, and flexibility to participants and pays farmers by the practice adopted (no-till and cover crops) per acre rather than on the amount of carbon sequestered.

"It's all about a farmer-first approach and recognizing this is a journey," says Leo Bastos, senior vice president of commercial ecosystems at Bayer. "We recognize that there are all kinds of different realities out there, and our goal is to provide opportunities for each one of those realities."

Carbon Farmer

"The motto on our fourth-generation farm has always been 'Leave it better than you found it.' ForGround by Bayer makes it simple for me to get rewarded for practices like no-till and cover crops," says Rob Schaffer, a corn, soybean, and Angus cattle farmer from El Paso, Illinois. "This also helps us create a benchmark to continue to improve our soil for the generations that come after us on both our owned and rented ground. It's an added bonus that I can tell our landlords that we are working on creating a more sustainable operation and easily show them the numbers."

By the Numbers

Bayer offers up to $12 per acre per year for implementing reduced tillage and cover crops in 28 states.