Soil intelligence company EarthOptics has announced a strategic partnership with Cquester Analytics, a specialist in soil organic matter fractionation, combining field-scale measurement with laboratory-grade analysis to give carbon program developers and investors more defensible evidence of soil carbon permanence.
The partnership integrates Cquester’s particulate organic matter and mineral-associated organic matter (POM/MAOM) fractionation into EarthOptics’ existing platform, which already measures soil for carbon, biology, nutrients, and compaction across large agricultural areas.
POM/MAOM analysis distinguishes carbon pools by their distinct pathways of accumulation, stabilization, and vulnerability to loss—information that is increasingly demanded by buyers and regulators seeking proof that carbon stored in soil will remain there over time.
Raising The Scientific Bar For Carbon Markets
The partnership comes as a response to a market moving beyond volumetric carbon accounting toward evidence of stability and function, the companies said.
Carbon credit buyers are pressing developers for data that demonstrates not just how much carbon is present in a given field, but how durable that carbon is likely to be—a question that conventional soil sampling alone cannot fully answer.
“EarthOptics already measures soil across carbon, biology, nutrients, and compaction,” said Lars Dyrud, EarthOptics’ chief executive. “With Cquester, we’re going deeper on carbon, adding their pioneering fractionation to give developers and investors the defensible permanence evidence the market is asking for.”
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Beyond commercial testing services, the companies intend to pursue joint research and help establish measurement standards for soil biology’s role in carbon programs, particularly in grasslands, where no broadly accepted standard currently exists.
“The future of soil carbon depends on measurement that is both scientifically rigorous and practical at scale,” said Francesca Cotrufo, Cquester’s founder and chief scientific officer. “Together with EarthOptics, we’re bringing that next generation of soil science into real-world carbon and soil health programs while helping advance the standards the industry still needs.”
Read more: Verified Soil Carbon Credits Deliver New Income Stream For U.S. Farmers
