Agoro Carbon has announced the initial issuance of carbon credits derived from its US cropland and pastureland projects, following independent validation and verification under carbon registry Verra.
The milestone includes the first credit delivery under Agoro Carbon’s 12-year agreement to supply 2.6 million carbon removal credits to Microsoft. First announced in June 2025, the transaction represents one of the largest soil-based carbon removal commitments in the voluntary carbon market.
The issued credits cover the 2021 and 2022 vintages across two registered project frameworks: VCS 3634 (cropland) and VCS 3656 (pastureland). Both projects utilize Verra’s VM0042 Improved Agricultural Land Management methodology (version 2) to quantify soil carbon sequestration achieved through practices such as cover cropping, reduced tillage, and rotational grazing.
Elliot Formal, Chief Executive Officer of Agoro Carbon, stated that the company’s farmer-focused approach relies on field-level measurement and long-term producer contracts to deliver high-durability, nature-based carbon removals.
Agoro Carbon’s operations encompass 2.5 million acres across 34 US states, involving more than 600 enrolled agricultural producers. The firm provides upfront financing alongside ongoing agronomic support over 10-year producer contracts, having distributed over $30 million in advance payments to date to support transition costs. Annual credit issuances from the projects are scheduled through 2037.
To quantify soil carbon changes, Agoro Carbon combines process-based modelling with direct field sampling. The firm has collected over 110,000 GPS-verified soil samples analysed via dry combustion, achieving an average margin of error of 7.06 per cent at a 90 per cent confidence interval.
Mandy Rambharos, Chief Executive Officer of Verra, noted that the issuance demonstrates a data-driven pathway for agricultural soils to deliver verified carbon removals at commercial scale under standardized accounting frameworks.
Agoro Carbon confirmed plans to transition its projects to Verra’s updated VM0042 version 3 methodology following its anticipated publication in early 2027, aiming to align future issuances with Core Carbon Principles eligibility criteria.
