Native's Improved Grazing Carbon Program

Native's improved grazing carbon program provides ranchers with upfront financial and technical support to sequester carbon in soils. In partnership with Western Sustainability Exchange, the program provides upfront funding to help ranchers implement sustainable land management practices that enhance soil carbon sequestration, enabling ranchers to invest in infrastructure and grazing improvements while gaining access to verified and credible carbon markets.

Participating ranchers benefit from increased forage and land productivity, greater drought resilience, enhanced carrying capacity for livestock and wildlife, capital support for infrastructure improvements, and diversified income through carbon credit revenue for up to forty years.

The program supports ranchers in adopting improved grazing techniques such as increasing pasture splits to boost stocking density and livestock movement, reducing grazing days per pasture to prevent overgrazing, and prioritizing land rest in all pastures.

Launched in 2015 in partnership with Western Sustainability Exchange, it is the first validated and verified carbon project to a leading carbon standard, undergoing third-party audits to the Verified Carbon Standard.

Native's Help Build™ program provides up-front capital and financial security to improve soil health before the income from soil carbon benefits has been realized. Help Build™ offsets provide funding for fencing and water infrastructure that allows ranchers to increase their number of pastures, decrease the pastures' size, and increase the speed and number of livestock rotations, prolonging rest and recovery on more acres of grassland.

Eligibility for the program depends on both the core requirements from the project methodology and Native's own criteria. This includes:

• Current management is either continuous grazing or limited and moderate previous history of regenerative management. The best candidates will be those with limited experience with improved grazing. If the ranch has been working on rotations and more intensive management in the past, management can be assessed at the pasture level and pastures that may not be eligible excluded, without the ranch being completely ineligible.

• Located in the validated project region. The project is validated for a defined region shown on a map on the program page — Montana and surrounding states. Ranchers outside the region are invited to reach out.

• Commitment to the land and ranch operations. Native signs 40 year contracts with participating ranches and guarantees to pay a minimum payment per metric tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent accrued in the soil.

• Greater than 2,500 grazable acres under livestock management. Native states its minimum is 2,500 acres at this time.

• Willingness to work and grow in uncertainty, given the evolving science of soil carbon sequestration and carbon markets.

Native signs 40 year contracts with participating ranches and guarantees to pay a minimum payment per metric tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent accrued in the soil. The specific payment rate is not published.

Ranchers are paid to start project activity and continue to receive carbon credit payments for 40 years. Native measures, reports, and verifies the carbon sequestered in the soil to develop and transact carbon credits in voluntary markets.

The project is validated and verified to the Verified Carbon Standard and undergoes third-party audits.

The first step for ranchers interested in participating is to submit an application of interest. From there:

1. Native will reach out to schedule an initial phone/video call or ranch visit.

2. Native will request information about the ranch: baseline records and maps (shapefiles), ranch improvement plan, easement contracts (if applicable), and written leases (if applicable).

3. Native will confirm eligibility and provide terms.

4. You sign the contract.

5. You get paid to start project activity and continue to receive carbon credit payments for 40 years.

Ranchers or landowners outside the project region can contact Kirsten McKnight at kirsten.mcknight@native.eco or submit an application of interest for a new region.