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Carbon by Indigo
Courtesy of Indigo Ag · Press kit, editorial use (opens indigoag.com)

Carbon by Indigo

by Indigo AgUS

DeployStage 4 of 5

Issuing credits under Climate Action Reserve's Soil Enrichment Protocol.

Updated 16 Apr 2025Checked 25 Sep0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Subsequent crediting cycles
  1. Carbon programme launched2019Complete.
  2. First Climate Action Reserve credits issued2022Complete.
  3. Subsequent crediting cyclesNowCurrent milestone.

Most important updates

  • 16 Apr 2025
  • 20 Jun 2024
  • 26 Feb 2024
  • 5 Sep 2023
  • 23 Feb 2023

Current obstacles

  • Measurement and permanenceSoil carbon varies a lot across a field and can be lost if practices change, so credits are hard to verify cheaply.

Physics limits

  • The change is tiny compared with what's already in soilTopsoil can hold tens of tonnes of carbon per hectare, while better practices add perhaps a few hundred kilos a year. That sub-1% change is smaller than the natural variation between samples a few metres apart.
  • Soil carbon fills up and can leak back outSoils approach a new balance after a decade or two and stop gaining. If the practice stops or the soil is ploughed, much of the stored carbon can return to the air within years.

How it works

3 parts
A soil core pulled from a field: measured samples like this, plus models, are how soil-carbon changes are estimated
A soil core pulled from a field: measured samples like this, plus models, are how soil-carbon changes are estimatedPhoto: Oregon State University · CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens flickr.com)
Enroll

Farmers change practices

Farmers adopt practices such as cover crops, less tillage or less fertiliser, and report their field data.

Measure

Soil samples plus a model

Soil samples and a peer-reviewed crop and soil model (DayCent) estimate the extra carbon stored and emissions avoided.

Credit

Verified credits, paid to farmers

An independent registry verifies the results and issues credits, which companies buy; farmers get most of the proceeds.

Update log

6 updates

Wed 16 Apr 2025

  • Major: PressRegulatory

Thu 20 Jun 2024

  • Major: PressCommercial

Mon 26 Feb 2024

  • Minor: PressRegulatory

Tue 5 Sep 2023

  • Minor: PressResearch

Thu 23 Feb 2023

  • Minor: PressRegulatory

2022

  • Minor: PressRegulatory

About Indigo Ag

The team behind Carbon by Indigo

Indigo Ag

Microbial biologicals, soil carbon credits

Boston company started within Flagship Pioneering. It sells microbe seed treatments, and pays farmers for soil-friendly practices like cover crops and less tilling, checked with models and soil samples, then sells the carbon credits.

  • Carbon by Indigo issued some of the first registry-verified farm soil carbon credits (Climate Action Reserve, 2022).
  • Raised $250M in 2023 at a much lower valuation than its 2020 peak.
  • Its biologicals line includes biotrinsic microbial products.

indigoag.com (opens indigoag.com)Company profile →

Founded
201412 yrs
Headquarters
United States
Status
Private
Valuation
private
Works in
AgricultureMicrobes & soil
Coverage
1 program · 7 updateslatest 16 Apr 2025checked 25 Sep
People
Dean BanksCEO
Primer