(NAFB) – Indigo Ag announced it has dispersed initial payments to the inaugural group of “Carbon by Indigo” participants.

The 267 paid growers are the first to implement on-farm practice changes and provide the data required to ensure the rigorous measurement and validation of resulting emissions reduction and removal according to registry protocols. The group has helped to pave a path for the scaled production of carbon credits as a new income stream for farmers.

Carbon by Indigo is the first carbon farming program to provide outcomes-based direct payments to growers at scale. Indigo also announced plans to expand eligibility for farmers in 28 states. The company says 78 percent of U.S. cropland is now poised to respond to the mounting demand for high-quality credits, which has already resulted in a credit price increase of 35 percent in the first year of the program.

Starting in the 2022 crop year, farmers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Alabama, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia are also eligible to begin farming carbon with the support of Indigo’s farmer-first program.