Agoro Carbon Issues First Soil Carbon Credits Under 12-Year Microsoft Deal
Agoro Carbon issued its first soil carbon credits on September 23, 2026, advancing a 12-year deal to deliver 2.6 million credits to Microsoft from US farms.
Photo by Kaan Keskin on Pexels
Agoro Carbon Alliance issued its first soil carbon credits on September 23, 2026, from the 2021-2022 crop vintage, marking the first delivery toward a 12-year agreement to supply Microsoft with 2.6 million soil carbon removal credits, the company announced. The credits were generated by more than 600 farmers enrolled across 2.5 million acres in 34 US states who adopted regenerative practices such as cover cropping and reduced tillage under Agoro’s soil carbon credits program.
“At Agoro, we compete on integrity. Our quality-driven, farmer-focused approach is backed by rigorous science,” said Elliot Formal, chief executive of Agoro Carbon, in the announcement. The company said it has distributed more than $30 million in prepayments to enrolled farmers and collected over 110,000 soil samples to measure carbon storage, with a reported margin of error of 7.06% at 90% confidence.
How the soil carbon credits program measures farm carbon
Agoro Carbon, founded by fertilizer company Yara International, pays farmers to adopt regenerative practices and then verifies carbon stored in the soil through field-level sampling combined with scientific modeling, rather than relying on modeling alone. Verra, the carbon-credit registry that certifies the program, said the approach addresses a large potential carbon sink. “Agricultural soils are one of the largest and most underused carbon sinks we have,” said Mandy Rambharos, chief executive of Verra.
Clint Myers, a farmer in Latah, Washington who has worked with Agoro for five years, credited the program’s income alongside its environmental effect: “Now 5 years in, our decision to partner with Agoro is one of the best decisions we have ever made on our farm.”
| Agoro Carbon – Microsoft program, as of September 23, 2026 | Figure |
|---|---|
| Total credits contracted to Microsoft | 2.6 million, over 12 years |
| Enrolled farmers | More than 600 |
| Enrolled acreage | 2.5 million acres |
| US states covered | 34 |
| Farmer prepayments distributed | More than $30 million |
| Soil samples collected | More than 110,000 |
| Measurement margin of error | 7.06% at 90% confidence |
| First credit vintage issued | 2021-2022 |
The issuance follows a June 2025 agreement in which Microsoft committed to purchase the 2.6 million credits over 12 years, one of the larger soil-carbon offtake deals disclosed by a technology buyer. Other companies have also moved to secure verified soil and land-based carbon removal: EarthOptics and Cquester partnered to verify soil carbon at scale using sensor-based measurement, while Mombak delivered its first Amazon reforestation carbon credits to Google and McKinsey two years ahead of schedule. Both cases, like Agoro’s program, rely on third-party verification bodies to certify that claimed carbon removal is real and additional, a standard explained further in Winss Solutions’ overview of voluntary carbon markets.
About Agoro Carbon Alliance
Agoro Carbon Alliance was founded by Yara International, the Norway-based fertilizer company, to pay farmers for adopting regenerative soil practices and to generate verified carbon credits from the resulting soil carbon storage. The company signed its 12-year, 2.6-million-credit supply agreement with Microsoft in June 2025 and has since grown its farmer network to more than 600 producers across 2.5 million acres in 34 states. The September 23, 2026 issuance of its first credits from the 2021-2022 vintage marks the program’s transition from farmer enrollment and sampling to verified, delivered carbon removal.
Sources: Business Wire (Agoro Carbon); Carbon Herald; Business Wire (original agreement)
Featured image: photo by Kaan Keskin on Pexels (free Pexels license).
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I specialize in sustainability education, curriculum co-creation, and early-stage project strategy. At WINSS, I craft articles on sustainability, transformative AI, and related topics. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me chasing the perfect sushi roll, exploring cities around the globe, or unwinding with my dog Puffy — the world’s most loyal sidekick.
