• Farmers enrolled in this project will retain ownership over their raw data. They will also control the fate of their data including who sees it, how it's used, and where and how long it's stored. 
• Data will be stored on a secure server for the farmer's duration of enrollment in ESMC plus three years, unless a farmer requests deletion of their records.
• The only entities automatically able to view farmer names, locations, and project data are ESMC and The Nature Conservancy.
• The only publicly shared data will be around whole-project outcomes, i.e., no publicly available information can be linked to any one farmer or location. (For more on this, see privacy tab above.)

• Ecosystem Services Market Consortium (ESMC) is one of the many entities quantifying soil carbon, ensuring carbon quantification is aligned with third  party  quality  standards, and conducting high impact science to ensure both buyers (companies) and sellers (farmers and ranchers) can confidently transact carbon in a way that benefits both sides.
• Members of ESMC include project partners Cargill, McDonald's, and The Nature Conservancy. ESMC is still in pilot mode, and this project will provide critical insights and science needed to develop effective markets. In this project, ESMC is going to document resulting carbon and water quality assets for the funding companies. (For more, see Why Ecosystem Services Market Consortium? tab above.)

• A producer retains their rights to project carbon until they sign The Producer Agreement with ESMC and receive the $3/acre payment, at which point ESMC will transfer rights to the producer's carbon to project buyers (McDonald’s, Target, and Cargill).
• We estimate that the project will generate 150,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (C02-e), but the final tally will depend on calculations done by ESMC based on soil sampling and model estimates.
• In this project, any resulting carbon was "prepaid" for by the funding companies. Farmers will be paid for acres of practices adopted and not based on rate of carbon storage. This means that the companies have already taken a risk that the project's enrolled acres may not generate the entire 150,000 metric tons of C02-e they paid for. This was done to shift the risk of under-storing carbon to the companies and not the farmers.

To be eligible, a producer must either newly implement a project practice (no till, cover crops, diversified rotations) OR "meaningfully improve upon an existing practice", e.g., shift from a single species to multi (3+) species cover crop mix or take the next step from strip-till to no-till. The definition of meaningfully improve upon an existing practice is based on NRCS guidelines and cannot be adjusted by the rest of the project team. For more information on what qualifies, please speak to your local NRCS Office or John Bush at 402 362-6601.

• One major difference between this project and others is that payments will be tied to the total acres of soil health practices and not soil carbon stored. We did this because we want farmers to know the costs and benefits of the project at the outset. Carbon storage, and the associated payments, could be highly variable.
• While this pilot will pay farmers $3/acre up front for their potential carbon, the eventual ESMC marketplace will compensate farmers for the actual quantity of carbon stored, one year post-quantification.
• As the science improves, it will be less risky to link payments to carbon. But for now, we did not want producers to take on the risk of unknown payments by signing up for this project.
• Another difference between this project and others is that we have no acreage minimums for enrollment.
• Finally, farmers will retain ownership over their raw data.

• Producers will be paid by NRCS according to the NRCS Nebraska payment schedule for no-till, cover crops, and/or diversified rotation practices. These payment rates range from $9.50 - 42.00 per acre.
• Upon enrolling in the ESMC pilot, producers will also begin receiving a flat $3/acre annual payment. Finally, producers will receive complimentary soil sampling and analysis.

• Producers will receive their first payments from NRCS the fall after they first enroll, and once practices are installed. If Congress fails to pass a budget, these payments could be delayed until a budget is finalized.
• To receive the funds for ESMC enrollment, farmers will enter year-end data to be submitted to ESMC. These payments will occur in October - December the year of enrollment.

Yes. A producer can participate in multiple programs at the same time. You can't, however, enroll the same acres in more than one carbon payment program. Once this pilot ends, farmers can choose to automatically enroll into the ESMC marketplace.

No, but it's important that a producer doesn't take on more acres in one year than they can reasonably manage. Producers who want to start with just a part of their farm and then expand their enrolled acreage each year will be eligible to do so.

A producer can choose to enroll in just the NRCS component or just the ESMC component if they choose. However, to receive the full payments and benefits of the project, we encourage them to enroll in both aspects of the project if they are able.

There will be no repercussions from TNC, the NRDs, or the other private companies if a farmer leaves the project early for whatever reason.

Because this is an ESMC Pilot project, there will be no repercussions if a producer chooses not to renew their annual contract with ESMC.

If a producer wants to end their NRCS contract early, NRCS first attempts to work with them to find a resolution. If they fall behind on the contract schedule and the reason is not within their control (beyond normal farming risks}, NRCS will do a rescheduling modification, i.e., extend the contract a year or two. If the farmer is still unable to complete their commitments due to reasons outside of their control, the contract can be canceled with no penalty to the producer. If the reason is within their control, NRCS will allow one rescheduling modification with a notice of contract violation using form CPA-153, giving the producer up to 12 months to correct the violation. If the producer has not completed a practice within the specified time frame on the CPA-153, NRCS would reassess the situation. Continued violation may result in termination.

• Cancellation: If a farmer exits their NRCS contract before the expiration date with incomplete items and the reason is in good faith or for circumstances that occurred not within the producer's control (death, repeated weather events, etc} and NRCS/Partners are in agreement, NRCS can cancel the contract and with no penalty.
• Termination: If a farmer exits their NRCS contract before the expiration date with incomplete items and the reason is not in good faith (stops corresponding with NRCS/partners, voluntary sale of land with no notice, unwilling to continue the scope of the project} NRCS can terminate the contract. Termination may result in liquidated damage assessment of 10% of the total obligation, depending on the reason.

If a producer falls behind on the contract schedule and the reason is not within their control (beyond normal farming risks), NRCS will do a rescheduling modification, i.e., extend out the contract a year or two. If the reason is within their control, NRCS will allow one rescheduling modification with a  notice of contract violation using form CPA-153, giving the producer up to 12 months to correct the violation. If the producer has not completed a practice within the specified time frame on the  CPA-153,  NRCS would reassess the situation. Continued violation may result in contract termination. If a farmer exits their NRCS contract before the expiration date with incomplete items and the reason is in good faith or for circumstances that occurred not within the producer's control  (death,  repeated weather events, etc) and NRCS/Partners are in agreement, we can cancel the contract and with no penalty.

Similarly, a producer will not be eligible for the $3/acre annual payment in years they are unable to implement the practice, but they will have the option of extending their enrollment to make up for that payment at the end of the project.

Producers are, however, still encouraged to access other project features during years that they are unable to implement the practice(s). Those benefits include lunch events, opportunities to speak with the press, and technical assistance.

Producers unable or uncomfortable meeting in person will have the option of participating in this project remotely (i.e., over the phone, text, email and Zoom). The data collection and ESMC portions of the project are already designed to be completed online. Project coordinators will reach out to producers as needed via text, email, or phone until it is safe to meet in person.

Anytime a project involves claims about carbon or greenhouse gas reduction or sequestration, The Nature Conservancy requires that outcomes are 3rd party verified to a rigorous carbon accounting standard.

In this case, the 3rd party accounting standard we're using is from Gold Standard, with Ecosystem Services Market Consortium {ESMC) serving as an intermediary to ensure protocols are adequately followed. In this project, Gold Standard requires soil sampling, which serves to "ground truth" model-estimated carbon storage. Other entities in this space are using model estimates only, i.e., without soil sampling. Neither approach has been universally embraced, but for now we think that soil sampling adds necessary rigor even though it's more costly.

We are also working with Colorado State University to conduct additional investigations into the efficacy of soil carbon payments to store carbon on working farms in a way that is both scientifically defensible and cost-effective.

The project coordinators will be collecting soil samples from project farmers to analyze total soil organic carbon, pH, and bulk density. Those results will be shared with the farmer. Macronutrient analysis may be included, but we are still finalizing protocols.

For those producers who opt-in, Colorado State University will be conducting additional analysis on the samples to assess whether the type of soil carbon changes over the course of the project. Freshly inputted carbon is good microbial food, while older carbon can support better aggregation and infiltration.

Understanding both the amount and type of soil carbon change can be more meaningful than either alone.

Both NRCS and ESMC have processes for working with lessees and landowners together to facilitate enrollment in the project. Please let us know as soon as possible if you plan to enroll leased acres.

The NRCS RCPP funds for technical and financial assistance are dedicated for growers in the Central Platte and Upper Big Blue NRDs only. For those who are outside of this region interested in enrolling in the ESMC pilot, reach out to Jacob Fritton at jfritton@tnc.org or (308) 529-2636.