Athian Livestock Carbon Program

Athian runs the first voluntary carbon insetting marketplace for the livestock value chain, paying dairy and beef producers for verified greenhouse gas reductions on their operations — most prominently enteric methane cut through validated feed-management interventions. Producers select a science-backed intervention, track it with Athian, have results reviewed by an accredited third-party auditor, and the certified credits are sold on Athian's marketplace to buyers inside the livestock supply chain.

Because credits stay within the value chain as insets, buyers are processors and cooperatives meeting Scope 3 targets: Dairy Farmers of America made the marketplace's first purchase, from a Texas dairy that cut nearly 1,150 tonnes CO2e using an Elanco feed product and quantification tool. Athian reports paying dairy farmers $18 million for carbon reductions in 2024.

This is the first program in the library paying for livestock methane reduction rather than soil carbon — relevant to dairies and feeders whose opportunity is in the barn, not the field.

• Dairy and beef producers implementing a Athian-validated intervention — the first accepted protocol covers enteric methane reduction and feed-utilization improvement using Elanco feed-management products.

• Producers may be adopting new practices or monetizing sustainability efforts already underway.

• Results are verified by an accredited third-party auditor for protocol compliance and quantification before credits certify.

Producers are compensated when certified credits from their verified interventions sell on Athian's marketplace; Athian does not publish per-ton rates or standard contract lengths. Reference points: the first sale (Dairy Farmers of America) covered ~1,150 tonnes CO2e from one Texas dairy, and Athian reports $18 million paid to dairy farmers in 2024. Third-party press has described payments reaching $150,000 for large dairies.

Contact Athian through athian.ai (Get Started) to be matched with a validated protocol; participation typically runs alongside the producer's existing veterinarian, nutritionist, or cooperative relationships.