Yes I know of a couple growers that have discussed this and have been getting paid - you are not going to get rich on carbon credits but it is several dollars per acre per year.

I think there are different ways you can contract...again not my area but the ILL NRCS had several meetings last year on strip till where there was a representative of the Chicago Climate exchange there. I picked up some brochures but that is about all I know about it.

Jim Kinsella in Lexington, IL knows far more about carbon credits than I do and has made many public presentations on this. I would look him up or check with the farm bureau staff in your county for information.

Personally I find the idea that Dr Hatfield has researched - of slowly decaying residue over the summer giving off significant amounts of CO2 and aid plant photosynthesis - is more important than a couple dollars an acre carbon credits.

I think a healthy corn crop is universally valuable. What was interesting is how Dr Hatfield explained that the reason a corn crop often visibly greens up after cultivation is NOT due to the tillage but due to the break up of the crust and allowing CO2 to get from the soil to the canopy.  Leaving significant residue on the surface between the rows does a similar thing without the cultivation pass.

Dr Hatfield and others (I believe a U of ILL researcher made some recent presentations on this also) have measured the CO2 levels in various fields at various heights and time of day. The evidence they reported is that CO2 levels in the canopy and plant growth are closely related, as I recall. Leaving residue on the surface also moderates peak temperatures during warm spells and holds in moisture for when it is needed....does everything except make your morning coffee...

Jim at Dawn