Navigating Carbon Strategies: Understanding Offsets and Insets in Agriculture

By Jordan Shockley | Associate Extension Professor
Published on Feb. 13, 2025

As corporations intensify efforts to lower their carbon emissions, two primary strategies have emerged: carbon offsets and carbon insets. While both approaches contribute to reducing environmental impact, they differ significantly in their execution and implications, particularly for the agricultural sector.

Carbon Market Basics

By Jordan Shockley | Associate Extension Professor
Published on Aug. 7, 2023

Interest in carbon markets continues to grow as farmers, landowners, and companies seek ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance environmental sustainability.

Current State of Carbon Market Policies

By Jordan Shockley | Associate Extension Professor
Published on May. 30, 2023

While traveling across the U.S. discussing carbon markets with various stakeholder groups, one frequently asked question is, “Will the government have its hands in carbon markets?” When this question was asked at the beginning of 2022, my answer was no.

What is the Driving Force behind Carbon Programs in the U.S. and Why Agriculture?

By Jordan Shockley | Associate Extension Professor
Published on Apr. 28, 2022

As new carbon programs continue to become available to row crop farmers across the country, understanding the driving force behind why these programs exist in the first place is key to determining their longevity.  Last year, we provided an overview of carbon markets in the article "

Carbon Markets 101

By Jordan Shockley | Associate Extension Professor and Will Snell | Extension Professor
Published on Apr. 29, 2021

The development of agricultural ecosystem credit markets, specifically carbon markets, is a hot topic in the popular press and Washington, DC.  The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 10% of carbon dioxide, a primary greenhouse gas, is emitted by the agricultural sector.  While this is relatively a small portion of