Darr Regenerative Feed Premium Program

• Key Takeaways from 2023:  
  • As shown in Table 1, significant nitrogen and phosphorus load was reduced by the acres in the basic, good and better tiers since they all encourage a year-round living root. The best tier is focused solely on nitrogen and therefore only impacts on nitrogen load reduction are reported.  
• • Table 1: Water Quality Improvement 

Practice Tier  Acres    Nitrogen Load Reduction (lbs/yr)   Phosphorus Load Reduction (lbs/yr)   

Basic              6702                           58,760                                                   3108   

Good              4283                           37,552                                                  1,987  

Better              987                            17,134                                                    458 

Best                350                                1479                                                      0 

• For optimal soil carbon measurement and analysis, farmers' fields will be tracked year over year. EarthOptics (EO) will return to participating fields that were measured at baseline annually to execute the soil mapping plan to measure changes in the sequestered carbon. Measurements include conventional carbon, bulk density, and soil health soil samples for laboratory analyses, as well as digital sampling with the EO GroundOwl™ sensor suite.  Data from the laboratory analysis is processed in combination with data from the digital sensors to generate maps that show levels of carbon over time as well as compaction, moisture, and nutrients at baseline. These maps and the conventional lab data help to inform growers’ agronomic and land management strategies and, over time, can illustrate changes in soil carbon sequestration. The average total carbon percent calculated from the 2022 - 2023 dataset is 1.06%, which is slightly lower than the regional average for conventionally plowed soils (1.8%). Although some improvements in soil structure and biological activity can be observed within a few years of implementing regenerative practices, significant increases in soil carbon are often more gradual. That is, notable gains in total carbon typically emerge after 5 to 10 years of consistent application, especially in soils that start with lower carbon levels. For this reason, final soil carbon changes will be reported at the end of the program in 2028.