DTN, USDA to Launch Sustainable Marketplace for U.S. Grain Producers, Buyers

DTN, a company specializing in technology, data, and analytics, is collecting data on 19 major grain, oilseed, and legume crops across 35 U.S. states in preparation for the launch of a sustainable marketplace in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Powered by machine learning, the platform will offer grain buyers the ability to make their purchases based on agronomic practices like cover cropping, tillage, and irrigation, in line with growing consumer demands for transparency in supply chains and net-zero products.

Although the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) climate rules have yet to be finalized, it was explained that the marketplace currently in development will be useful in regard to the upcoming SEC’s Scope 3 emissions reporting requirements. And while the platform is not a carbon credit marketplace, the compiled data on carbon sequestration can be used as an awareness tool for potential carbon credits.

While this partnership will not require all-organic production, it is hoped that the higher prices fetched by sustainably grown grains, oilseed, and legumes will entice more farmers to convert to sustainable production practices.

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