USDA’s chief economist says a focus of the department’s recently announced $1 billion Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program will be how to track emission reductions and sequestration in an accurate and cost-effective way.

Seth Meyer tells Brownfield now the high cost of tracking emissions and sequestration are eating potential premiums that could be going to producers.

“Can we learn something from this which pushes down those transaction costs [and] allow the producers to gain more of this,” he said.

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