John Deere is expanding the record-keeping tools in its Operations Center platform so that farmers can document the field practices that may earn value under the US 45Z Clean Fuel Production Tax Credit.
Under 45Z, eligible biofuel producers, including ethanol and biodiesel plants, may qualify for tax credits by using lower-carbon farm feedstocks such as corn, soybeans, sorghum and spring canola. Practices that can lower a feedstock's carbon intensity include reduced tillage, no-till, cover cropping and improved nutrient management. Farmer participation is voluntary, and the fuel must be produced between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2029.
The platform is expected to support a Biofuel Feedstock Report, which documents carbon-intensity reductions field by field. Biofuel producers must submit this report to claim the additional credits. Deere says it is adding ways to validate information, cut manual data entry and keep records more accurate, and it plans to pilot the approach with selected ethanol producers that intend to share programme value with the farmers who supply them.
"If farmers are creating value through their practices, they should share in that value," said Nate Green, Director of Biofuels at John Deere, adding that the company wants to provide the equipment, technology and data that help farmers share in the income created through 45Z.
How much a farmer receives will depend on the individual agreements and programmes set up by each biofuel producer. Deere advises growers to start now by consolidating planting, harvest, fertiliser and field-operation records, and by checking field boundaries, planting dates, product names, application rates, invoices and receipts.
The company says farmers keep control of their data under its Farmer Data Commitment, which it describes as built on transparency, choice and control.
Photo: Royalbroil / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Source: Farms.com
Comments
(0)