CFE Carbon
Delivering Value to Our Farmers.
As the carbon market rapidly develops and evolves, CFE Carbon serves as a key data management service to help growers navigate through risk and volatility.
Our goal is to work closely with our farmer members, educating them on how their management practices affect their Carbon Intensity Score (CIS), which in turn influences carbon offset payments.
Favorable practices include:
- Using nitrogen stabilizers
- Adopting no-till and cover cropping
- Applying manure
- Implementing split applications
- Developing detailed fertility plans with soil sampling
- Utilizing biologicals
- Employing in-crop Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies
Guidelines
Please read through the following carbon program offerings before filling out the carbon enrollment form.
Note: All growers who have participated in a carbon program (Arva, Truterra, and Indigo) under CFE in 2023, 2024, or 2025 have automatically been added to a list for the 2026 Crop Year and DO NOT need to fill out the carbon enrollment form.
Note: A field cannot legally be in more than one carbon program in the same year, however many carbon programs can be coupled with federal and state funding programs.
Legal Stacking Examples: Arva / Indigo / Truterra + EQIP / WQI / CSP / etc.
Illegal Stacking Examples: Arva + Truterra; Indigo / Arva / Truterra + 45z Sustainable Fuel Tax Credit
Note: The 2026 Crop Year = Fall of 2025 after harvest through the end of harvest 2026.
Note: Participation does not guarantee any specific amount of acreage.
For any questions, please contact Ashilyn Klaassen at 712-260-0677.
Carbon Programs Offered
2026 Indigo Program
Requirements and Details:
- Must do current agronomy business with CFE
- First time using cover crops or no-till (field specific, not operation specific)
- Payment: $30-$36/Acre on average
- States: Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota
- Full payment split over 5 years
- 50% – YR1
- 20% – YR2
- 10% – YR3, YR4, YR5
- Receive full payment even if you reverse the practice the following year
- One year contract
- Can re-enroll to start another 5yr payout period if you continue the previously enrolled practice or add a second practice to that field
- First payment for the 2026 program will come in Qtr 2 of 2028
2026 Arva Program
Requirements and Details:
- Must do current agronomy business with CFE
- MUST have current soil samples
- Pulled between 2021-end of 2026
- MUST be the GPS point shapefile or a spreadsheet with latitude and longitude coordinates, not just the lab results or sampling books
- If CFE does your soil sampling, we will have the proper information and files
- Must provide CFE with an FSA 578 (Report of Commodities) or a W9 to show legal grower name
- Tillage must be 4 inches or less
- No-till and strip till are great options for this program
- Must show a crop rotation in a two year look back (2024, 2025, 2026)
- Not Allowed:
- Corn/Corn/Corn
- Allowed:
- Corn/Cover crop/Corn/Cover crop/Corn
- Corn/Soybeans/Corn
- Corn/Corn/Soybeans
- Soybeans/Corn/Corn
- Alfalfa/Corn/Soybeans (any mix of different crops)
- Etc.
- Not Allowed:
- Crop must be harvested for grain (no silage, no seed)
- Two pieces of evidence confirming field information (chemical or fertilizer as applied sheets, farm plan from your agronomist, receipts, pictures, MMP/NMP, yield/planting maps, etc.)
- States: Iowa and Minnesota
- Maximum Payment:
- Corn: $22/acre
- Soybeans: $17/acre
- Oats: $17/acre
- One year contract
- Will be paid out in Qtr 2 of 2027
LEAVE IT BETTER THAN YOU FOUND IT
Cover Crops
Cover crops are a simple, effective way to protect and improve our soil while supporting long-term sustainability. By planting cover crops, farmers help reduce erosion, improve soil health and enhance water retention. Benefits that strengthen today’s operations and preserve the land for future generations. At CFE, we believe in practices that leave our land better than we found it, ensuring it remains productive and resilient for years to come.
TUB RECYCLE PROGRAM
powered by cfe
Our tub recycle program makes it easy to reduce waste and earn a discount for your next purchase. Partnering with some of our most forward-thinking retailers, customers can now return used feed tubs to be recycled into eco friendly products like park benches, fence posts and stalls.
Watch for details on how to participate at your local CFE location.
CFE Solar
CFE’s commitment to sustainability is rooted in smart, forward-thinking investments like the new CFE Solar project in Ocheyedan. By generating renewable energy to power one of its most energy-intensive facilities, we are reducing costs, increasing efficiency and creating long-term value for our members. Through strong partnerships and a focus on practical solutions, this initiative reflects the cooperative’s dedication to stewardship, innovation and building a more sustainable future for the communities it serves.
