Are Biden's carbon markets as good as they look? No, say smaller farms

Carbon credits to cut US emissions may benefit big animal operations but lock out small, climate-friendly food producersNicole and Aaron Bradley's diversified livestock farm is a far cry from the industrial pig operations that dominate the landscape in North Carolina, the second biggest pork-producing state in the US.Instead of confining thousands of animals and managing their millions of litres of waste in lagoons that release methane, a potent greenhouse gas (GHG), the Bradleys raise 200 pigs at a time on pasture and in wooded areas, where the animals' manure is integrated into the ground naturally as fertiliser. Similarly, they move their 40 grass-fed cattle using a "mob" grazing system that maximises soil health, with laying hens following behind. Continue reading...