The North Dakota Farmers Union has successfully started a national Carbon Credit Program. It allows ag producers and landowners to earn income by storing carbon in their soil through no-till crop production and longterm grass seeding practices. There are also forestry (tree planting) and methane offset (manure digester) contracts. Forestry and methane contracts are available nationwide and have no enrollment date. Soil offset contracts are limited to established enrollment areas. (article includes map). Soil carbon characterization studies are needed to expand the enrollment areas.

A hardy new grass called "HiMag" may help protect cattle, sheep, and goats from an affliction known as grass tetany. When ruminants�animals with four stomachs�have too little magnesium in their blood, grass tetany can result. Also known as hypomagnesemia, grass tetany causes an estimated $50 to $150 million in livestock production losses each year in the United States.