Bayer Carbon Program

The Bayer Carbon Program, part of ForGround by Bayer, pays US row-crop growers fixed per-acre payments for adopting cover crops and conservation tillage. Unlike credit-share programs whose payout depends on a moving carbon price, Bayer pays a set, known per-acre rate each year: $6 per acre for each eligible practice, up to $12 per acre for combining cover crops with a qualifying tillage practice.

The program is available in 28 states across 12 eligible cash crops, and comes with year-round agronomic support and access to ForGround discounts and offers. Growers choose which eligible practices to adopt and which fields to enroll, and may request to add or remove fields ahead of each calendar year.

New for 2026: acres with managed livestock grazing on cover crops or crop residue may participate. Grazing is not an incentivized practice, but it is allowed under the program terms and verification.

Eligible practices: no-till, strip-till, and cover crops. Reduced-till may be eligible on acres where cover crops are used.

Eligible geography: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Eligible cash crops: corn, soybeans, wheat, barley, sorghum, chickpeas, dry beans, oats, lentils, millet, peas, and rye.

Fields previously enrolled in another carbon program became eligible starting in 2026, with proof of termination from the previous program; historical payments are not available for those fields. Growers must disclose enrollment in stewardship or conservation programs (such as CRP) during the prior 10 years.

Bayer offers an eligibility quiz on the program page.

How payment works. Growers earn $6 per acre for each eligible practice — no-till, strip-till, or cover crops — and up to $12 per acre when combining cover crops with a qualifying tillage practice. The rate is a set, known value paid each year, not a share of a carbon credit price.

Contract term. Enrolling a field starts a 5-year program performance period. Bayer may, at its discretion, offer renewal for additional five-year periods, up to three times per field — up to 20 years total if all renewals are offered and accepted.

Stacking. Fields may not simultaneously generate carbon assets in another program. Starting in 2026, fields previously enrolled elsewhere may join with proof of termination. Participation in stewardship or conservation programs may be permitted if no carbon assets are created and the other program allows it; Bayer asks growers to verify compatibility at carbonprogram@bayer.com.

Enroll through the ForGround by Bayer platform (bayerforground.com) — sign up, take the eligibility quiz, and enroll fields directly. Fields can be added or removed with Bayer's approval within 30 days of the start of the upcoming calendar year.

Program compatibility questions can go to carbonprogram@bayer.com.