Kernza^® Carbon Planner

This model estimates the yearly average amount of carbon sequestered during a five-year Kernza^® rotation following a transition from an annual grain crop (wheat and corn). The estimate occurs at the county level, similar to the USDA’s COMET Planner. We recommend 3-4 years of grain production and an additional 1-2 years of forage production, leading to a 5-year rotation of Kernza^®. This estimate is intended for initial planning purposes. Site-specific conditions should be independently evaluated for a more detailed assessment of carbon sequestration dynamics on your farm.

• Estimate the average amount of carbon sequestered on a farm in most counties where wheat or corn are grown in the United States
• Estimate the amount of carbon sequestered per kg if you know the on-farm grain yield.
• Conduct individual Kernza^® perennial grain product lifecycle assessments

You can not use this model to measure carbon sequestration dynamics on your specific Kernza^® acreage.

Wheat and corn.

This model estimate is intended for initial planning purposes. For detailed assessments of carbon sequestration dynamics on your Kernza® cropland, an independent site-specific evaluation and verification should be conducted.

The Kernza^® Carbon Planner model simulations use input data and management information from the USDA National Resource Inventory and DayCent Ecosystem Model used by the USDA’s COMET Planner and COMET Farm. The simulations report to the US national greenhouse gas inventory from cropland. The simulation data, data sources, and method are published in Nature.

The Kernza^® perennial grain soil carbon sequestration data that drives the model calibration is from the Kernza^®CAP project.

• Laura K. van der Pol, Brian Nester, Brandon Schlautman, Timothy E. Crews, & M. Francesca Cotrufo (2022). Perennial grain Kernza® fields have higher particulate organic carbon at depth than annual grain fields. Canadian Journal of Soil Science. 102(4): 1005–1009. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjss-2022-0026
• Kalyn Taylor, Sandipan Samaddar, Radomir Schmidt, Mark Lundy, & Kate Scow (2023). Soil carbon storage and compositional responses of soil microbial communities under perennial grain IWG vs. annual wheat. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol 184, 109111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2023.109111

The Kernza® Carbon Planner is currently the best tool for estimating the average amount of carbon sequestered on a farm in Kernza^® perennial grain cropping systems. We hope to translate the Kernza® Carbon Planner into a site-specific farm-scale model in the future.

Kernza^® Carbon Planner models a projected estimate for the average amount of soil carbon sequestered by Kernza^® crops by US county. The planner does not guarantee a specific outcome at the farm level. Independent site-specific evaluation and verification should be conducted for detailed assessments of carbon sequestration dynamics on your Kernza^® acreage.

Carbon insetting is a proactive approach to reducing carbon emissions. It involves investing in internal projects that reduce emissions within a company’s supply chain.

Carbon offsetting is an approach to mitigating carbon emissions that involves compensating for emissions by investing in external projects like renewable energy or forest conservation. Critics argue that offsetting allows companies to pay their way out of direct responsibility for reducing emissions without substantially changing their operations.