Does Your Farming Practice Qualify For Carbon Credits?
The guidelines below apply to the Alberta Regulated market place as outlined in the Alberta Specified Gas Emitters Regulation Quantification protocol for Tillage System Management accepted by Alberta Environment.
The coefficients are as follows for the farming practices and soil zones:
Zero Till |
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Is defined as up to two passes with low disturbance openers (up to 38%) or 1 pass with a slightly higher disturbance opener (up to 46%) to apply seed, fertilizer or manure, discretionary tillage of up to 10%. No cultivation on summerfallow and no fall tillage. |
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Dry Prairie or Brown to Dark Brown Soil Region |
Parkland or Black Soil Region |
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| Irrigated | Non-Irrigated | Irrigated | Non-Irrigated |
| Approximately 0.14 Tonnes/Acre |
0.089 Tonnes/Acre | 0.16 Tonnes/Acre* | 0.16 Tonnes/Acre |
* Use of irrigation will not affect the coefficient since there are no data to support increased soil organic carbon due to irrigation within this region |
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Reduced Till |
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Is when soil disturbance to apply seed, fertilizer, or manure exceeds no-till definition and/or 1 cultivation in fall or spring. |
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Dry Prairie or Brown to Dark Brown Soil Region |
Parkland or Black Soil Region |
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| Irrigated | Non-Irrigated | Irrigated | Non-Irrigated |
| Approximately 0.013 Tonnes/Acre |
-0.00729 Tonnes/Acre (negative coefficient) | 0.01 Tonnes/Acre* | 0.01 Tonnes/Acre |
* Use of irrigation will not affect the coefficient since there are no data to support increased soil organic carbon due to irrigation within this region |
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Full Till |
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Is when there is more than one cultivation between harvest and subsequent seeding if no fallow in that period, or, more than three cultivations between harvest to subsequent seeding if fallow. More than two cultivations in the fallow period. Lands that fall under this category do not sequester carbon and therefore are not eligbile for carbon credits. |
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Land that has been chem fallowed or summerfallowed does not qualify for credits in the year that it is chem fallowed or summerfallowed. |
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