New Rules Aim to Track Carbon Savings From Biofuel Crops
Published Date: 6/29/2026
Rule
Summary
Starting July 29, 2026, farmers growing crops for biofuels will follow new, clearer rules to measure and report how their farming practices reduce carbon emissions. These updated guidelines help track the environmental impact from farm to fuel, making it easier to prove greener biofuel production. This affects farmers, biofuel producers, and supply chain folks, aiming to boost cleaner energy while keeping reporting fair and accurate.
Analyzed Economic Effects
7 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 2 costs, 3 mixed.
Field-level CI via USDA FD-CIC
Starting July 29, 2026, farmers who grow field corn, soybeans, sorghum, or spring canola for biofuel will use the USDA Feedstock Carbon Intensity Calculator (USDA FD-CIC) to get a field-level carbon-intensity (CI) per bushel. You must input location, nitrogen applied, yield, and any low-carbon practices into USDA FD-CIC; the calculator's CI estimates do not include land-use change or other market-mediated effects.
New Farm Recordkeeping & Attestation Rules
Farmers using the rule must keep new records and sign attestations under penalty of perjury in the Biofuel Feedstock Report. You must document expected yield (supported by crop insurance records or RMA transitional yield or FSA ARC-County Benchmark yield), actual yield adjusted to standard moisture (15.5% corn, 13% soybeans, 14% sorghum, 8.5% spring canola), and retain required records for five years.
Supply-Chain Chain-of-Custody Rules
The Biofuel Feedstock Report must travel with the reduced-CI crop through the entire supply chain to the biofuel refiner, and mass-balance calculations must use dry weights. Entities participating in multiple sustainability programs must give third-party verifiers documentation so the same GHG benefits are not counted in more than one program; some attestations by first aggregators and intermediaries must be signed under penalty of perjury.
Third-Party Verifier Standards Tightened
Verifiers must avoid conflicts of interest and include an Agricultural Expert on the verification team (as defined to align with FCIC requirements). Verifiers are also directed to check that actual and expected yields used for CI calculations are accurate and match the Biofuel Feedstock Report.
New Nutrient Management Requirements
Every participating field or management unit must have a planned nutrient budget and yield goal before implementation, and users must input actual nitrogen applied and yields into USDA FD-CIC. Manure users must test manure during the current crop interval and may not exceed application rates in the nutrient budget; USDA now allows accounting for nitrification inhibitors and manure as inputs under specified conditions.
Tillage Rules Use T-DISC Thresholds
The rule uses a Tillage Disturbance Index for Soil Carbon (T-DISC) to define reduced till and no-till: reduced till requires a T-DISC no greater than 0.252 and no-till requires a T-DISC no greater than 0.075 (strip till and fertilizer injection are permitted under the no-till threshold). USDA will publish a T-DISC calculator for public use.
Spring Canola Added as Eligible Feedstock
The final rule adds spring canola to the list of feedstocks for which a reduced carbon-intensity can be quantified using USDA FD-CIC, joining field corn, soybeans, and sorghum. Producers of spring canola are therefore eligible to obtain a field-level CI under the rule starting July 29, 2026.
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