Farmer Statement - Dick Wittman (Idaho)

“Today’s carbon market is like the Wild West – anything goes in terms of measurement and verification standards – which means it will be a challenge for GHG reductions from agriculture to get the credit they deserve.

There is a ‘buyer beware’ atmosphere out there that makes it difficult to distinguish really good agriculture projects that reduce significant GHG from those that don’t.  Businesses won’t have confidence that their emissions are being offset until there is a standard measurement and verification protocol.

Agriculture holds the potential to be a major player in providing emission offsets.  Our first experience with putting together a carbon sale demonstrated there is a real demand for a carbon market, but that market can only emerge as a widely accepted offset solution with reliable measurement models. 

With the release of this important work from numerous agriculture scientists, we can begin the process of creating standards backed by science.  This will be an essential step in the development of any legitimate, long term carbon market.”

Bio Brief:  Dick Wittman farms, ranches and has extensive timber holdings on the family operation in Idaho. The former president of the Pacific NW Direct Seed Association, Dick worked with Environmental Defense to aggregate one of the first direct soil carbon leases to a major utility.  He is also a national speaker and columnist on farm business management issues and appears globally in English speaking nations to help producers improve their business management processes.