The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plans to invest $8 million to support and expand monitoring of carbon in soil on working agricultural lands, as well as assess how climate-smart practices are affecting carbon sequestration.

This is part of USDA’s efforts to build out a national soil carbon monitoring network, which was kicked off with soil carbon monitoring on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres in 2021.

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is requesting proposals for regional projects focused on soil organic carbon stock monitoring, which are due Nov. 28, 2022. This investment in building out the soil carbon monitoring network is part of USDA’s comprehensive effort to address climate change through climate-smart agriculture and forestry.

“Healthy soils are a powerful tool when it comes to sequestering carbon. We want to enhance our measurement tools and integrate them into program delivery to advance quantification efforts of the effects that climate-smart agricultural practices have on carbon sequestration,” NRCS Chief Terry Cosby said. “Soil health management practices and activities are a tremendous part of our strategy when it comes to climate-smart agriculture and forestry.”

NRCS will fund four agreements, one in each region: Northeast, Southeast, Central and West. Funding ranges from $1.5 to $2 million, and projects will last two to four years. Applications must include a strategy to reach equity of program delivery in historically underserved communities. Partners will work collaboratively to complement soil carbon monitoring efforts taking place across USDA.

NRCS is looking for projects that will:

  • Deliver training on soil sampling for soil organic carbon and bulk density, data collection and management and processing methods.
  • Conduct outreach to producers to use NRCS’ soil carbon monitoring practice.
  • Coordinate with NRCS national and state offices and centers to provide technical assistance.
  • Identify and recruit specialists to help producers with implementing soil carbon monitoring.
  • Reaching diverse producers to participate in soil carbon monitoring and other NRCS conservation activities.

Eligible entities include Tribal governments, nonprofits, universities, state and local governments and members of the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units Network.

Applications should be submitted via grants.gov.

New Soil Organic Carbon Stock Monitoring Conservation Evaluation and Monitoring Activity
Beginning in fiscal year 2023, NRCS will offer a new conservation evaluation and monitoring activity (CEMA) to provide assistance for measuring soil organic carbon stocks. The new activity is used to quantify the levels of organic carbon stored in the soil and monitor the change in soil carbon stocks before and after the implementation of a conservation practice or conservation plan.

A qualified individual will use a hydraulic probe to sample soil to one meter depth. The soil will then be tested for organic carbon and bulk density to provide organic carbon stock levels to farmers and ranchers. Partners will play a critical role in training individuals on the sampling methodology, as well as conducting outreach to producers to inform them of the opportunity through NRCS.