What the heck is a carbon credit? Nicki Nimlos, a doctoral student at the University of Wyoming, says that’s a question she’s heard often over the last couple of years. Around 2023, when Nimlos was beginning her Ph.D., carbon market programs were becoming more widely available to ranchers.

As we begin another year, I’m grateful for fresh beginnings. Although, I have to say, every new year that comes I personally don’t feel new – and I don’t sense that my life has changed. Yet, that change of the calendar often brings a sense of rebirth and renewal.

Sure, carbon markets are volatile. Sure, the market is theoretically best suited for a large dairy farm, even those providing manure into a community digester. But that didn’t stop Michael Crinion of Ash Grove Dairy.

It’s probably safe to assume that, at some point, you’ve heard about carbon credits. After all, carbon credits have been utilized by various industries globally for decades as part of efforts to combat climate change.

While recent changes in policy and markets have added uncertainty to the economics of digesters, the technology remains a valuable option for dairies looking to improve sustainability, prepare for a carbon-conscious future and manage manure more effectively.

As the conversation around carbon continues to evolve, the Professional Dairy Producers (PDP) held the Carbon Conference 3.0 in Madison, Wisconsin, at the end of January to inform dairy producers and allied industry of current strategies to turn carbon challenges into business opportunities.

Since the turn of the century, sustainability has been integrated into business strategies, giving birth to the triple bottom line – people, planet and profit. This has expanded how people think about sustainability. It is more than environment and includes economic and social or societal dimensions.