The move aims to address “pain points” for companies seeking solutions to reduce ag-based emissions or remove carbon from the atmosphere and bring clarity to a growing market, including farmers.
The collaboration hopes to channel Indigo’s microbial technology and digital solutions with Truterra’s ability as an ag retailer to drive farmer engagement to create “quality, standard setting and predictable ag sustainability outcomes”.
What are the pain points identified?
The two companies say they will work toward creating a common framework for high-integrity agriculture sustainability programmes.
These hope to effectively respond to the demands of downstream buyers within and beyond the ag value chain by ensuring greater consistency and standardisation of sustainability outcomes and delivering a broader spectrum of solutions.
For example, farmers enrolling in agricultural sustainability programmes will have the ability to more easily choose the one that best suits their farming operations with the support and expertise of their advisors, the ag retailers. They will also benefit from new, actionable insights generated by aggregating and standardising data.
Too many hands in the pot?
“Working together, we can address the confusion among farmers and other value chain participants as they navigate multiple, often incompatible, ag sustainability programs that undermines trust in the market and results in the loss of value,” says Ewan Lamont, head of Indigo’s Sustainability Solutions business.
“This is an important moment for the maturity of the market for agriculture sustainability solutions,” he adds. “It will enable us to accelerate the adoption of standard setting, agriculture sustainability solutions, which creates valuable options for farmers that complement and diversify their operations as well as meeting the needs of the value chain and benefiting the planet.”
Truterra’s president Jamie Leifker adds the ag retailer is confident in its ability to lead, drive cooperation and certainty in the ag sustainability space. “Our network of ag retailers is positioned to guide farmers to the programs that best matches the needs of their operation, which in turn can drive confidence for downstream buyers,” he says.
“Working together with Indigo Ag will boost our shared goals to deliver more consistent and standardised solutions while advancing current and future value chain relationships.”
The initial focus going into the 2025 crop season will be on:
• expanding access to registry-based credit opportunities through Indigo’s carbon programme for farmers and ag retailers in the Truterra network
• expanding Indigo’s and Truterra’s scope 3 programmes, using consistent standards, for companies seeking to reduce emissions from within their grain and livestock ingredients supply chain
Looking ahead, the two companies say they will work to align on scientific rigor, provide increased options, and improve the efficiency of data collection through a common data management and quantification platform to address the pain points for farmers and other participants in the agricultural sustainability space.
