Naerebout: We Would Like To See Clarity On Carbon Markets In Next Farm Bill

As lawmakers in Washington D.C. start to discuss what should be included in the 2023 Farm Bill, several commodity groups are making their thoughts known. The Idaho Dairymen’s Association is looking for clarity when it comes to carbon markets.

“As we’re looking at this Farm Bill, every indication is that there’s going to be a climate chapter added to the Farm Bill, where we’re going to see incentive programs added that our dairymen could benefit from in trying to implement sustainability programs on their dairies," said CEO Rick Naerebout. "So making sure that those incentive programs are right sized for our dairies.”

Naerebout added at this stage, he’s encouraged that the USDA is looking at using a carrot, rather than a stick approach to incentivize farm practices. He said farmers and diary producers want to have a good market that provides good revenue, and when that happens, the industry will answer the call.

"Why not try and solve some of these carbon sequestration problems by offering farmers and dairymen a market and that revenue opportunity.  Ever expectation is if you give us a good, healthy market, that has sound economics to it, we’re going to produce to what the market is and probably over produce it a bit because we’re so efficient at what we do in agriculture.  And that really should be the approach with carbon sequestration.”

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