March 2026 ESMC Newsletter

Co-Investing & Co-Claiming: Award-Winning, Cost-Effective Regenerative Agriculture Models from ESMC

Agricultural Scope 3 emissions reductions and removals mainly happen at the farm and field level through regenerative agriculture practices. Companies in that supply shed can claim those reductions and removals against their emissions inventories. However, most agricultural commodities move through complex value chains where multiple companies rely on the same production landscapes.

Historically, sustainability investments have often been made by individual companies, which can be expensive, thus limiting a project’s acreage and scope. ESMC is working to change this by providing companies working in the same supply shed the opportunity to co-invest in projects. With this model, companies can co-claim that project’s outcomes which increases the scope of opportunities for investment and provides greater payments for participating farmers. ESMC’s tracking system ensures that outcomes can be shared without being double counted, maintaining credibility and transparency for corporate reporting.

As an example, a farmer would enroll in an EcoHarvest project and implement approved practice changes, such as cover crops or nutrient management improvements on a corn/soy rotation. Company A sources corn from a particular supply shed of the EcoHarvest project and uses that corn as a key ingredient in its cereal products. Company B sources soy from the same region for its products. Because both rely on production from that landscape, they can co-invest in the same project that supports practice changes on participating farms. They share the costs of those interventions.

By enabling shared investments, companies can increase the value of their sustainability spending while accelerating the adoption of regenerative practices at scale. Instead of fragmented efforts, they can work together to support farmers and scale real environmental outcomes across shared supply regions.

We’re expanding opportunities for co-investment and co-claiming through new programs like Midwest Feed and Regen Rice, building on the success of our work with General Mills and ADUSA. ADUSA recently won a sustainability award for Industry Leadership and Cross-Sector Collaboration for its work on collaboration in regenerative agriculture.

Learn more about co-investing and co-claiming and if you have questions about how this works, reach out and set up a time to meet with Doug Adams.

Scaling & Expanding Water Outcomes with PLET Module V2

Agricultural water quality is essential to resilient food systems, healthy watersheds, and credible corporate sustainability commitments. Nutrient runoff, sediment loss, and changing hydrology continue to challenge watersheds across agricultural regions, making it critical that solutions are grounded in regional science and measurable outcomes.

To support consistent and credible quantification of agricultural water quality outcomes, ESMC developed the Pollution Load Estimation Tool (PLET) module in December 2024. PLET enables ESMC to translate conservation practices into modeled reductions in key pollutants, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment.

In January 2026, ESMC released PLET Version 2, expanding the tool’s capabilities to aggregate field-level conservation outcomes to the watershed (HUC-12) scale. The V2 expansion allows project outcomes to be evaluated against science-based watershed targets, informed by published research and aligned with Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) objectives.

By linking farm-level practices with watershed-scale outcomes, we can translate agricultural conservation into monetizable, watershed-scale water quality credits—helping organizations address water goals with credible, science-based outcomes.

Read the PLET v2 Technical Documentation

Recent Webinar: Why Watershed-Scale Science Matters

In a January 2026 webinar, Dr. Tapasya Babu and Dr. Matthew Helmers of Iowa State University explored the scientific foundations behind watershed models and the evolution of ESMC’s PLET module. Their discussion highlighted a critical point: most nutrient and sediment impacts occur beyond the field, making watershed-scale science essential for understanding the real effectiveness of conservation practices.

Watch the Webinar: From Field to Watershed – Scientific Foundations of Watershed Models

Advancing the Conversation: Watch Recent ESMC Webinars

As part of our mission to increase scientific discussion and collaboration in our community, we’ve been hosting a series of webinars designed to bring together experts, practitioners, farmers, and supply chain leaders. Recent webinars have focused on new research around water quality outcomes, accounting methodologies, and EcoHarvest programmatic updates. Our goal is to not only communicate on these topics but foster collaboration on current projects and ask questions on how we can continue to innovate and improve our programming. All webinar recordings are available on our website. Take a look!

Meet ESMC Team Members at Upcoming Events

We’re pleased to share that ESMC team members will be attending the following upcoming events in 2026. Please let us know if you’ll also attend and wish to set up a time to meet with Doug Adams.

Soil & Climate Initiative Field Day & Market Development Session
March 24-25; Cotton Plant & Little Rock, Arkansas
Join for one or both days as to advance Delta Regen Rice+, creating a strong foundation for collaborative farm, market, and food systems in the Delta South built around regenerative agriculture, nutrient density, and farm prosperity. ESMC’s Matt Starr will attend. Learn more and register.

DC Climate Week
April 20 – 26; Washington DC
DC Climate Week (DCCW) is a community-organized week of events, exhibitions, tours, screenings, and gatherings across Washington, DC. Explore the challenges of the climate crisis and discover the solutions that give hope. ESMC’s Patrick Swords will attend. Learn more and register.

Recent News in Regenerative Ag

The World’s Topsoil Is Vanishing. Can We Save It?
USA Today (March 16)
Given current rates of soil degradation, 100% of the world’s topsoil could be gone within 60 years. That means farmers could have fewer than 50 harvests left in their fields. Read the full article.

Regenerative Agriculture Offers Promise of Crop, Environmental Improvement for Kansas Farmers
Kansas Reflector (March 13)
On a hilltop field in Rush County, Kevin Wiltse stabbed his spade into plant residue-encrusted earth and turned over a shovelful of dark soil. Wiltse is a staunch advocate of a growing farming trend: regenerative agriculture. The science-heavy method minimizes soil disruptions and man-made chemical use while restoring farmlands to a more natural state. He has drawn heavily on microbiology classes he took while earning an agronomy degree from Kansas State University. Read the full article.

National Corn Growers Association and Ag Data Transparent Release Transparency Principles for Ag Carbon
American Ag Network (February 24)
The Ag Carbon Transparent Project, announced last summer by the National Corn Growers Association and Ag Data Transparent, recently released its Transparency Principles for Ag Carbon with growing industry support as the group works to bring clarity to farmers interested in carbon programs. Farmers, industry leaders, and carbon program experts collaborated to develop a set of transparency principles and a program contract verification process for agricultural carbon programs, designed to bring clarity, comparability, and trust to a complex and rapidly evolving market. Read the full release.