Carbon Farming is a process designed to maximize agriculture’s potential for moving excess greenhouse gases from the atmosphere into the soil and vegetation, building fertility, productivity and resilience.

Carbon Farming is a whole-farm approach implementing on-farm practices that increase the rate at which plants transfer carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere to the soil, which then increases water infiltration, water-holding capacity, soil organic matter and promotes long-term carbon sequestration. 

Carbon Farm Plans are guidance documents for landowners outlining a suite of conservation practices that address on-farm resource concerns and greenhouse gas reductions. Plans are designed to help land managers meet their natural resource management goals while supporting productive lands, thriving streams, and on-farm wildlife habitat.

• Increases terrestrial carbon in plants and soils
• Drives beneficial changes in other ecosystem features, such as improving soil water infiltration & soil water-holding capacity, enhancing biodiversity, providing ecosystem resilience, boosting productivity

Carbon Farm practices are a subset of standard agricultural conservation practices, defined by the USDA -Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), that increase plant biomass and build soil organic matter. Implementing a suite of practices in a farm-wide Carbon Plan, the net impact is significantly greater than the implementation of one practice.

Examples of Carbon Farm Plan NRCS Conservation Practices

Compost Applications • Riparian Forest Buffer • Prescribed Grazing • Cover Crops • Silvopasture/Shrub & Tree Establishment • Conventional Tillage to No-Till • Forage and Biomass Planting • Windbreak/ Hedgerow Establishment • Riparian Herbaceous Cover • Critical Area Planting • Improved Nutrient Management • plus many more!

Application Period Opening Soon!

Carbon Farm Plan Application & Selection Process

The Humboldt County Resource Conservation District (HCRCD) received state funding through the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) to develop a small number of Carbon Farm Plans (CFP). The HCRCD has developed an application to provide for a fair and equitable process to determine the producers who will receive assistance for CFP development. This application process is competitive and consists of two phases of review.

➢ Phase 1 consists of a review and ranking of responses to the completed application by the Review Committee. The Review Committee is made up of HCRCD Board Members and staff.

➢ Phase 2 consists of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) conducting farm/ranch site visits and interviews with the applicants who qualify after Phase 1. Once site visits are completed, the TAC will finalize the scoring and ranking, and select 3-5 applicants who will receive assistance for CFP development. The TAC is made up of HCRCD staff and partner biologists.

The HCRCD is committed to supporting landowners who have demonstrated a land stewardship ethic. The selection of your site by the TAC is a commitment by the HCRCD to create a CFP for the implementation of carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas reductions and climate adaptation conservation practices on your farm.

If selected, you will be required to commit to working collaboratively with HCRCD staff, be an active participant in the process and provide a cost-share of $500 for plan development as a requirement of the WCB grant.

Landowners who receive assistance and complete a CFP are expected to implement the practices in their plans as funding opportunities become available. The HCRCD is committed to supporting the implementation of carbon farm plan practices as funding allows. 

2020 Application is below: 

HCRCD Carbon Farm Plan Application-pdf

2021 Application coming soon!

The 2021 application will be slightly different than the 2020 application. The above application should only be used as an example of the process and the types of questions that will be asked.