Bayer Partners With CHS, Eyes The Industry’s Largest Carbon Market

After a limited pilot last year, Bayer is setting growth goals for the full market launch of the Bayer Carbon Program and announces its first ag retail partner in CHS Inc.

The collaboration covers 17 states already included in the Bayer Carbon Program, and extends it to new geographies including Colorado, Montana, Oklahoma and Texas. CHS is owned by more than 900 local cooperatives and 75,000 farmer members.

Via this partnership, farmers are eligible for two payments.

Bayer will pay its $3, $6, $9/acre incentives. CHS will offer additional financial incentives for farmers to use its enhanced efficiency fertilizers: N-Edge, Trivar and Levesol.

“CHS is one of Bayer’s strategic retail partners for crop input business and through the carbon program, we identified this as an opportunity to continue to strengthen and expand our relationship, particularly with CHS’s commitment to sustainability,” says Lisa Streck, Carbon Business Model Grower Program Lead for Bayer. “We know CHS is a trusted adviser to farmers. They have a strong footprint. We know farmers are looking for that trusted adviser to help them participate in a carbon program.”

The partnership expands program sign up from the exclusive efforts of Bayer field staff to now include CHS ag retail staff.

CHS staff will be trained on the Bayer Carbon Program and encourage farmers to enroll. There will be a dedicated CHS carbon-focused website that will redirect growers to the Bayer enrollment site to get started in the program.

“We’ve seen success with both farmers signing up themselves and farmers having help getting enrolled. Our approach is to satisfy both paths,” Streck says. “When we looked at the pilot program, which was relatively small scale, we used our internal teams to help position the program. Given the partnership with a retailer like CHS and its size, it expands our reach and footprint.”

Streck says Bayer does not have a specific goal for acres enrolled in 2022, but the company is eyeing large growth in the coming year, which is supported by strong farmer interest.

“Our ambition is to be the largest carbon program in the industry,” Streck says.

“Farmers are recognizing the benefits of our program: the simplicity, the flexibility and the certainty the program provides,” Streck says. “We’ve learned there is strong demand from farmers who want to participate in programs like this, especially among early adopters who want to learn what they can and have some experience. We know this space is relatively new and will continue to evolve.”

Streck notes for the 2022 enrollment so far, there’s a “fair percentage” from growers who have adopted historical practices that qualify them for enrollment.

“We are committed to continue to evolve our program based on what we learn, the science that’s available and the experience that growers have with the program,” she says.

Streck also notes Bayer is open to explore more partnerships with companies and entities interested in helping farmers with carbon and sustainability initiatives.

AG WEB

Tags: Bayer, fertilizer, Bayer Carbon Program