USDA finalizes rule for regenerative agriculture focused on biofuel tax credits.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced this Thursday (25) that it has completed the final version of the Regenerative Feedstock Rule, which creates a voluntary pathway for farmers to obtain additional value through the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices linked to the 45Z tax credit for clean fuels. Although the full text of the regulation has not yet been published, the USDA The agency informed that the final rule and the Feedstock Carbon Intensity Calculator will be available on the agency's website as soon as they are published in the Federal Official Gazette. According to the department, the new rule establishes a framework for integrating regenerative agriculture practices into the supply chain of biofuels produced from corn, soybeans, sorghum, and spring canola. Key points of the regulation include the definition of eligible crops and participants in the supply chain, the quantification of carbon intensity at the farm level for each crop, traceability and chain-of-custody standards through mass balance, audit and verification requirements, and standards for adopting regenerative agriculture practices. USDA It also updated the Feedstock Carbon Intensity Calculator (USDA FD-CIC), a tool that will allow producers to measure the benefits of practices such as cover crop planting, improved nutrient management, and no-till farming. The reports generated by the calculator can be used by farmers in the marketing of eligible feedstocks destined for producers participating in the biofuel program, facilitating access to the benefits provided for in the 45Z tax credit.

This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.