Millions of people depend on American farmers across the nation and around the world. However, an increasing number of droughts, floods, storms and wildfires cause costly disasters to the U.S. economy, including agriculture.
In the 1980s and 1990s, 3.7 weather and climate events per year cost more than a billion dollars, adjusted for inflation; each of the past five years, 2019 to 2023, averaged 19.8 such costly events. According to the American Farm Bureau, major disasters and severe weather caused over $21 billion in crop losses alone in 2023.
In October, IU O'Neill School professor Jerome Dumortier spoke at the Roads to Removal Symposium on the IU Indianapolis campus, where Indiana was shown to be well-positioned for carbon storage. Photo by Jessica Corry, Indiana University
"Farmers in the Midwest and the U.S. are in an interesting position," he said. "Even though they are affected by climate changes, they also have huge potential to act by removing carbon in the air and storing it in the soil."
Dumortier is part of a nationwide team of researchers who completed a report called "Roads to Removal," highlighting options for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. A symposium to discuss its findings was held on the IU Indianapolis campus, where Indiana was shown to be well-positioned for carbon storage.
More carbon is stored in the top 30 centimeters of soil globally than in the entire atmosphere, and cropland in Indiana can add even more to the existing pool. Managing agricultural soils can enhance the use of this natural carbon reservoir.
Effects of extreme weather on Hoosiers
Janet McCabe, former deputy administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, spoke at the symposium about the concerns she heard from rural Hoosiers during her time as director of the IU Environmental Resilience Institute.
"Environmental changes are impacting the agricultural economy in the U.S., including Indiana, where we see more extreme storms and flooding," McCabe said. "This affects the bottom lines of people who do business in the state, especially farmers, communities and local officials."
Professor Jerome Dumortier, right, speaks with former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe, center, and O'Neill School Dean Siân Mooney at the Roads to Removal Symposium. Photo by Justin Casterline, Indiana University
Farmers are already making adjustments to protect their profitability by purchasing flood- and heat-resistant seeds. However, there is a point of no return where it will be impossible to adapt.
"What happens if Indiana's yields decrease dramatically due to severe weather and insurance rates for farmers go up?" Dumortier said. "That would be a substantial financial consequence, not just for farmers, but for the average grocery store shopper."
Indiana well-suited for carbon dioxide removal
Removing carbon from the air and storing it in the soil can slow climate change and prevent some of the damages. While there are several approaches to carbon storage, Dumortier highlighted that one of the most affordable and sustainable solutions is through a practice called cover cropping.
"Indiana is a prime spot for cover crops and perennial carbon crops," he said. "There is a co-benefit of reducing erosion as well as improving water and nitrogen retention."
The "Roads to Removal" report found that Indiana has some of the highest potential for soil carbon dioxide removal in the U.S., largely because 80% of Hoosier land consists of farms, forests, wetlands and woodland. It is estimated that Indiana can remove 5.4 million tons of carbon dioxide through cropland soil management by 2050. The practice would also decrease water- and wind-borne erosion in the Ohio River Basin and along the Wabash River.
On a national level, the study identifies county-by-county opportunities in all 50 states with the potential to remove 1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide. Through cropland soil management, forest management and geologic storage, it is estimated that 440,000 new jobs would be created.
New economic opportunities for farmers
For most of human history, agriculture focused on food production. Recently, farmers expanded into energy production due to the demand for ethanol gasoline. Now, through carbon storage, farmers could have another stream of income.
If a moderate incentive of $40 per ton of carbon removed through cover cropping, perennial field borders and carbon crops were implemented starting in 2025, the total amount of carbon removed by 2050 could reach more than 130 million tons.
"If public service leaders can organize around compensating farmers to incentivize them to do more of these practices, it would create opportunities for farmers to earn additional revenue," Dumortier said. "In the long term, this practice is less costly than trying to recover from weather disasters that cause financial devastation to the agricultural industry and broader communities."
