U.S. growers are receiving the first carbon credits verified through direct soil sampling, a development that backers say could reshape how agricultural climate benefits are measured and monetized, Veterans Carbon Holdings (VCH) announced on Monday.
The credits, validated by independent reviewers under BCarbon’s Soil Carbon Protocol v2.0, are based on stratified field sampling rather than satellite imagery or practice-based modeling.
The approach confirms higher levels of stored carbon in subsoils than many estimation methods capture, signaling a shift toward measurement-based verification.
The initial credits originate from farmland in the Red River Valley. VCH plans to expand the program across 1.5 million to 2 million acres in North Dakota and western Minnesota this year, aiming to scale a system that links measured environmental outcomes to marketable assets.
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The company expects the initiative to generate roughly $1.1 billion in payments to farmers and landowners over nine years, with 55% of revenue directed to participating growers.
Unlike many agricultural carbon programs, the credits are serialized for full traceability and will be issued through DOVU’s blockchain infrastructure on Hedera, allowing buyers to track each unit from validation through sale.
The credits are also positioned to align with emerging international standards, including frameworks connected to Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, in an effort to attract institutional buyers seeking higher-integrity offsets.
The move from modeled assumptions to field-verified data could address longstanding concerns about credibility in voluntary carbon markets while creating a more reliable income stream for producers.
“This program returns real income to farmers. It rewards stewardship with measurable proof, not assumptions. That changes everything,” Stuart Eeg of Greenbush, Minnesota, one of the first participating growers, said in a comment.
As serialization continues, each credit will carry transparent documentation, a feature proponents argue could strengthen confidence among both corporate buyers and agricultural participants.
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