Ag Carbon Podcast

Balancing Herd Health, Pasture Performance & Soil Regeneration What does it take to keep livestock thriving and pastures resilient through a long Western winter? In this episode, we sit down with a seasoned rangeland expert, Kelsey Miller, who has spent over two decades working with ranchers across Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado to fine-tune grazing management and regenerative practices. From traditional feeding to innovative approaches like stockpile grazing and bale grazing, we explore the strategies ranchers use to maintain herd performance, protect soil health, and make the most of limited winter forage. She breaks down how feed quality changes with the seasons, why palatability matters, and how balancing nitrogen and carbon in the diet can boost animal health. We also dig into how winter can actually be an opportunity to improve soil health from using bale grazing to build organic matter and microbial activity, to leveraging snow as a water source and managing grazing density when the ground is frozen solid. Plus, we touch on key watchouts like toxicity risks, unwanted seed spread, and overgrazing dormant forages. Whether you're managing a ranch, consulting on grazing systems, or just fascinated by how regenerative livestock systems work year-round, this conversation offers practical insights and fresh perspective on the art and science of winter grazing. About the our guests: Kelsey Miller is currently based out of Billings Montana. She comes from a ranching background, and has spent much of the last 20 years working to improve Western pastures, rangelands, and the herds that graze them. She attended Montana State University in Bozeman, where she earned her B.S in animal science. Her professional focus includes grazing systems, plant community dynamics, mapping, monitoring, remote sensing, soil health, local food systems, animal health, wildlife ecology, and landscape level collaboration.

Verifying Carbon Credits: Integrity in Every Acre What does it really take to turn climate-smart farming practices into verified carbon credits? In this episode, we pull back the curtain on the verification process behind agricultural carbon projects. Joined by three Agoro Carbon team members – Chris Daley from the Carbon team, John Pullis from the Data team, and Mark Worner from the Grower Success team – we break down the science, logistics, and integrity behind every carbon credit we generate. We start with the basics: what verification is and why it matters. Then we dive into the field with Mark, who shares the real-life practices that sequester carbon, like cover cropping and no-till farming. John walks us through the rigorous soil sampling methods and explains how data drives credibility. Chris provides insight into how third-party auditors validate that our project meets the highest global standards. You'll hear about the value verification brings – not just for carbon credit buyers -but for farmers, ranchers, and the planet. From improved soil health to greater transparency, this conversation uncovers the deeper benefits of getting it right. Whether you're in ag, carbon markets, or just curious how climate solutions are verified on the ground, this episode is a deep and accessible dive into the process that keeps our carbon program honest, credible, and impactful. About the our guests: Chris Daley has broad experience in the carbon markets, ranging from program and methodology development to providing analysis on current and future trends. Chris has worked as a program officer at Verra and a senior associate at Ecosystem Marketplace, a Forest Trends Initiative. Mark Worner is an and agronomist and first generation farmer with a background in seed and ag chemical sales he leads our Grower Success onboarding process. Mark's passion is to educate others about conservation agriculture Michigan's diverse agriculture influenced John Pullis' lifelong love for farming—from specialty crops to commodity crops. As a Senior Agronomist that focuses on soil sampling John thrives on the constant evolution and development of the agriculture industry.

In this episode, we dive into the world of carbon ranching and agricultural carbon sequestration. What exactly is carbon ranching, and how does it work? Join us as we break down the process—from understanding the initial steps ranchers take to establish a carbon baseline to implementing conservation practices that generate high-quality carbon credits. We'll discuss how ranchers can customize their journey, what kinds of data are collected, and how the voluntary carbon market works. Whether you're a rancher curious about joining a program or simply intrigued by this innovative approach to climate action, this episode has something for everyone! About the our guests: Kelsey Miller is an agronomist with Agoro Carbon Alliance. She comes from a ranching family, and enjoys sharing that lifestyle with her children on their homestead in Montana. She began her agronomy career young, while also serving her local FFA chapter and later the Wyoming State FFA Association. Kelsey did undergraduate research as a McNair Scholar at Montana State University, where she earned her B.S in animal science, after she worked with the USFWS at the National Bison Range. Her agricultural career continued in work with local governments, nonprofits, and in her own enterprises. Her professional skills include grazing systems, noxious weed management, mapping, monitoring, remote sensing, soil health, local food systems, animal handling, conservation ecology and more.

What does it take to ensure sustainable projects truly make an impact? Find out in this episode with Christopher Daley, Agoro Carbon's Carbon Project Development Manager. The sustainable development verified impact standard also know as "SD VISta" is the sustainability standard managed by Verra, the world's leading standard for climate action and sustainable development. SD VISta verifies and quantifies sustainable development benefits generated from voluntary carbon offset projects. This standard ensures that certified projects not only produce measurable, sustainable development benefits but also follows best practices to protect local communities and ecosystems. Agoro Carbon Alliance works with farmers and ranchers to implement sustainable practices, like rotational grazing, biodiversity, cover crops and reduced tillage, that sequester carbon in the soil and generate carbon credits. The SD VISta standard, managed by Verra, will verify and quantify the sustainable development benefits generated from practices implemented with farmers and ranchers that partner with Agoro Carbon once registered.

We are asked time and time again what is an "agoro." Wonder no further because in this episode Ashley Bruner, Agoro Carbon Global Marketing & Communications Manager, shares the ins and outs behind our company's identity. And just like soil there is more than meets the eye on the surface. In this episode you'll learn the meaning of Agoro Carbon Alliance, our origin story, and how we settled on our name.

Come down memory lane and reflect on the early days (with a few stories) and how the agricultural carbon market has evolved. Get to know our US Managing Director here at Agoro Carbon Alliance, Dr. Yebin Zhao. He has been with Agoro Carbon Alliance since day one - in fact he helped start the business when there were only 3-4 people. His strong background in soil science and agronomy have helped shape Agoro Carbon. Based in Illinois, Yebin joined Agoro Carbon Alliance to help farmers and ranchers adopt soil health practices and add additional revenue to their bottom line. He is an experienced Agronomist skilled in water quality, soil fertility, and environmental awareness. Yebin has degrees from The University of Georgia, South China Agricultural University, and Shandong Agricultural University, including a doctorate in Agronomy.

The podcast featuring Christopher Daley, a Carbon Project Development Specialist, looks into the role of biodiversity in the agricultural carbon market. Daley emphasizes the importance of biodiversity, highlighting its crucial role in sustaining ecosystems and supporting agriculture. Increasing biodiversity offers numerous benefits for farmers and ranchers, including healthier soil, higher yields, and better water management. While biodiversity is becoming a focus for corporations as part of their climate-related targets, it's also essential for responsible land stewardship and consumer demand. Biodiversity credits, which have been part of the voluntary carbon market for years, are gaining traction, with frameworks like the Global Biodiversity Framework incentivizing projects to address biodiversity loss. Agoro Carbon contributes through practices such as no-tillage farming, cover crops, seeding native plants, and improved grazing practices, which support healthier and more resilient ecosystems. The future of biodiversity credits lies in projects that promote biodiversity across various landscapes, aligning with the vision of Agoro Carbon.

Let's zoom in on a specific and very crucial stage of the ag carbon credit generation process - the role of soil stratification. First off, what is soil stratification or also referred to as "soil strata?" Well, here is a little preview: Soil stratification is the process of dividing farm or ranch land into different areas that represent similar soil organic carbon to efficiently sample soil with the most accurate results. What does stratification look like? And how is it related to the monitoring, reporting and verification of carbon credits? Does AI and remote sensing play a part? We cover all that and more in this episode with Tommy Pudil, Agoro Carbon's Geospatial Analyst. Tommy is a member of the science team. He is originally from eastern Iowa, and attended school at Creighton University in Nebraska, as well as Georgia Southern University in Georgia. During his time at both schools, he used remote sensing to measure the health of vegetation and map land cover using artificial intelligence and machine learning. Growing up in Iowa, farming has always been something that is important to Tommy, and he enjoys using his skills to help the mission here at Agoro Carbon Alliance. In his free time, Tommy likes to fish, hike, lift weights, and spend time with family and friends.

Iowa-based Agronomist and Strategic Accounts Manager, Clay Craighton, joins us to chat through the newest way farmers can get involved in the ag carbon market - and it's all about cover cropping with legumes. Cover crops improve soil health and help keep carbon "locked in" to our soil. In this episode, Clay discusses the ins and outs of generating ag carbon credits by diversifying cover crops with legumes, and so much more: What are legumes Legacy conservation growers can participate How adding legumes to the mix works Types of legume species Application type Farmers that have been managing fields with cover cropping can now qualify to get paid and participate in the Agoro Carbon Alliance program by adding legumes to the species planted. To learn even more about cover cropping with legumes visit the Ag Carbon Knowledge Hub. If you have comments or suggestions, please visit our website or call 888-224-7423. And be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

We sat down with Kyle Henry, an Ohio rancher, who is also an Agoro Carbon Alliance member. We chat about the early onboarding process from a rancher's perspective to help others understand what exactly happens after a carbon contract is signed. He transports us to Uhrichsville, Ohio or as he says "a little slice of heaven." Kyle shares his family farm history, the transition from raising dairy to beef cattle, and his current acres of pasture enrolled in the Agoro Carbon program. Kyle takes us through the onboarding phase of our carbon program from the data collection points like herd size and pregnancy rate to the anticipation of his soil sample results. If you have comments or suggestions, please visit our website or call 888-224-7423. And be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

In this episode we welcome Alejandro Plastina, Associate Professor of Economics at Iowa State University alongside his former student and our Cornbelt Carbon Cropping Manager, Clay Craighton. Dr. Alejandro Plastina specializes in agricultural production and technology, with an emphasis on farm business and financial management. His research focuses on the socioeconomic drivers of conservation practices, voluntary pest resistance management, carbon programs, and agricultural productivity. He chats with us about his research and the role universities like Iowa State have in the voluntary carbon market. If you have comments or suggestions, please visit our website or call 888-224-7423. And be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

We have a new partner we'd like you to meet: the Graze Master Group. Our new, Nebraska-based partner Graze Master Group conducts business with a rancher-first farmer-first mindset. Episode guests are Del Ficke, founder of Graze Master Group and Sales Director of Agoro Carbon, Larry Hafer dive into what make us a terrific pair and how we'll help positively impact ag and our planet together. If you have comments or suggestions, please visit our website or call 888-224-7423. And be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

In this episode we discuss the challenges and benefits of reducing tillage and adding cover crops in the Northern half of US. Agronomists John Pullis and Steve Hasselman share their experiences with these sustainable farming practices in the upper Midwest. After working with farmers for years through these practice changes, they offer advice through these practice changes that build healthier soils, better nutrient cycling and water retention.