March 2, 2021 With the federal government releasing details on its planned carbon offset system soon, soil organic carbon will be a key measurement, and one to pay close attention to going forward. So far, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau sees the planned carbon offset system creating an opportunity for farmers to receive credit — and income — for reducing emissions and sequestering carbon. One of the first offset protocols the government is considering is focused on organic carbon in soils. But what exactly is soil organic carbon, how is it measured, and why will that measurement matter? Those are the questions I’ll work to answer in this series.