New platform capability accelerates Scope 3 and carbon offset projects for new practices that cannot be modeled, reducing risk for program sponsors and increasing convenience for growers
MINNEAPOLIS (October 17, 2023) – CIBO Technologies, the company delivering the only complete sustainability platform serving the food and ag value chain, today announced the availability of CIBO Control Plot Manager. This new capability in the CIBO Impact platform enables companies and growers to rapidly identify scientifically valid control plots and soil sampling plans for field trials and carbon programs that utilize a measure-remeasure methodology instead of, or in addition to, modeling.
CIBO’s Control Plot Manager meets the rigorous Verra VM0042 standards for using control plots to gather soil carbon data with soil sampling and a measure-remeasure approach. The solution is ideally suited for biologicals and input companies, project developers and project sponsors interested in Scope 3 or carbon offset projects with novel products, crops, practices or geographies.
CIBO’s Control Plot Manager addresses four key challenges all soil-sampling-based carbon and Scope 3 regimens face:
- The Complexity Challenge: Control plots must have identical soil type, practice history and weather to fields where non-modeled inputs such as biologicals are applied. CIBO instantly identifies and qualifies candidate plots based on these factors.
- The Soil Sampling Challenge: The control plot must be sampled throughout the carbon farming project. Control Plot Manager generates the sampling points and plans needed by sampling companies, ensuring that consistent samples are taken throughout the program or trial.
- The Field Selection Challenge: Reserving a field for a control plot is potentially disruptive to grower operations, so flexibility is key. A perfect control plot may not be the perfect choice for the grower’s operation, so alternative options may be required. Growers must be able to choose different fields for the control without risking program disqualification or invalid results. CIBO prequalifies multiple fields that meet program requirements and presents growers with flexibility and options.
- The Grower Engagement Challenge: Growers, program developers and sponsoring companies lack a way to easily communicate and manage control plot-driven projects. Control Plot Manager removes program guesswork and increases program efficiency by modernizing and simplifying the land selection workflow, program communications, monitoring, status, reporting, and results. This reduces risk and interruptions for program sponsors and increases convenience for growers.
“The new CIBO Control Plot Manager is a natural extension of the CIBO Impact platform that creates the opportunity for innovative agricultural products to participate in Verra, Scope 3 or other carbon projects,” said Daniel Ryan, CEO of CIBO Technologies. “While soil sampling for carbon programs remains expensive, it is well suited for initial projects and product validation. Our technology unlocks new carbon projects in agriculture across practices, while ensuring high confidence, academic rigor and scientific accuracy.”
For more information on CIBO Technologies’ new Control Plot Manager or to see how you can get started with your own agricultural carbon project, please reach out to CIBO Technologies at cibotechnologies.com.
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About CIBO
Founded by Flagship Pioneering in 2015, CIBO applies advanced software to deliver a deep understanding of agricultural systems at scale. We focus on delivering solutions that drive regenerative agriculture in order to help mitigate climate change, advance food system resilience and improve grower outcomes. CIBO is a 2021 Fast Company World Changing Ideas Awards finalist, was named 2021, 2022 and 2023 AgTech “Company of the Year,” and is a Thrive 50 company and 2023 Bold Award finalist. Learn more at cibotechnologies.com.
