Digital Harvest: Tech Links Farm Data to Clean Fuel Credits

ENGLEWOOD, CO and FARGO, ND – February 04, 2026 – A landmark integration between two agricultural and energy technology leaders is set to transform the American heartland into a new frontier for carbon markets. Verity Holdings, the sustainability-focused subsidiary of biofuel producer Gevo, Inc., and Bushel, a dominant ag-tech software provider, have connected their platforms to create a seamless digital pipeline from the farm field to the fuel pump. This partnership aims to meticulously track and verify sustainable farming practices, unlocking significant financial incentives for farmers and accelerating the production of low-carbon fuels.

At the core of the initiative is the ability to connect on-farm data from Bushel’s widely used platform with Verity’s sophisticated sustainability modeling system. This allows for the precise calculation of a crop's carbon intensity (CI)—a critical metric that determines its value in the burgeoning clean energy economy. The first to test this new system will be Gevo's ethanol facility in Richardton, North Dakota, a pilot project that serves as a real-world test case for a more traceable and profitable agricultural supply chain.

Unlocking a New Revenue Stream for Farmers

For decades, farmers have been encouraged to adopt sustainable practices like no-till farming and planting cover crops for their environmental benefits. Now, technology is finally creating a direct, market-based financial reward for that stewardship. The Verity-Bushel integration provides the missing link, giving producers a clear pathway to monetize their sustainable efforts by generating verifiable, low-carbon grain.

The system is designed for ease of use. Farmers using Bushel’s digital tools can choose to securely share relevant operational data with their permission. Once enrolled, records of their practices—such as reduced tillage, optimized fertilizer use, and cover crop planting—flow through Bushel’s systems to Verity. Verity’s platform then analyzes this data to generate a verifiable CI score for the grain produced. This score is the key to unlocking new value.

"Farmers want to participate in these programs, but they need a process that fits within the common systems like Bushel they already use," said Jake Joraanstad, CEO of Bushel, in a statement. "This partnership and technology integration helps create more market-based opportunities by connecting data in a secure, permissioned way. It supports what’s needed now while helping the industry get ready for what’s next. This isn't the next carbon pitch, this is where rubber hits the road.”

The economic implications are substantial. While the direct tax credits for clean fuel production go to the biofuel producer, the demand for low-CI feedstocks creates a premium market for farmers. Economic analyses suggest that the value passed down could be significant. For example, reducing the carbon intensity of corn by an average of 18 points could create a "sharable value" of approximately $1.02 per bushel for the ethanol plant. For a farmer with a 200-bushel-per-acre yield, this could translate to an additional $204 per acre in revenue, turning sustainable practices into a major profit center.

Forging a Transparent Path from Farm to Fuel

The partnership addresses a growing, industry-wide demand for transparency. Consumers, investors, and regulators are increasingly requiring proof that products marketed as "sustainable" are backed by verifiable data. This integration builds that chain of custody from the ground up.

Bushel brings a massive network to the table. Its software platform is the digital backbone for over 3,500 grain and ag retail facilities and is used by more than 100,000 farmers, representing over half of all grain origination in the U.S. and Canada. This extensive reach provides the scale necessary to make a meaningful impact on the national supply chain. The company's SOC 2 Type II certification underscores its commitment to data security, assuring farmers that their sensitive operational data is handled with robust privacy and security controls.

On the other end of the data pipeline is Verity, a Gevo subsidiary specializing in digital Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) platforms. Its system is designed to provide auditable, immutable records of sustainability attributes, leveraging distributed ledger technology to ensure data integrity.

“Verity’s focus is to build confidence in sustainability data across the supply chain,” noted Kimberly Bowron, president of Verity. “By connecting with Bushel, we can bring verified carbon intensity (CI) scoring to more stakeholders, starting at the farm. It’s a scalable path toward enabling better decisions, incentives, and outcomes.”

This digital handshake between the two companies creates the data integrity needed to meet complex program requirements and unlock market premiums, effectively future-proofing the agricultural supply chain against evolving policies and consumer expectations.

Gevo's Strategic Play for Net-Zero Fuels

For Gevo, this integration is more than just a partnership; it is a critical component of its core business strategy. As a developer of next-generation biofuels, particularly Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), Gevo's success hinges on its ability to secure a reliable supply of low-carbon feedstocks. The lower the CI of the initial feedstock, like corn, the lower the final CI of the SAF, making it more valuable and environmentally impactful.

The pilot program at Gevo's Richardton, North Dakota, facility is a strategic move to operationalize this vision. By using the Verity-Bushel system, the plant can source corn with a known, verified CI score from local farmers. This allows Gevo to precisely calculate the lifecycle emissions of its fuel and maximize its eligibility for lucrative government incentives.

This initiative is a key part of Gevo’s ambition to create a "circular economy" that transforms renewable resources into net-zero carbon fuels. By managing the carbon footprint from the very beginning of the supply chain—the farm—Gevo can more effectively support its claims of producing high-value, low-impact energy. The integration strengthens the company's market position, de-risks its feedstock supply, and provides a powerful tool in its mission to decarbonize difficult-to-abate sectors like aviation.

The Power of Policy: Navigating the Section 45Z Landscape

The primary engine driving this push for farm-level data is the Section 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit, a powerful incentive created by the Inflation Reduction Act. Set to take effect in 2025, this tax credit rewards producers of transportation fuels based on how far their product's carbon intensity falls below a statutory baseline. For non-aviation fuels, the credit can be worth up to $1.00 per gallon, while for SAF, it can reach $1.75 per gallon.

Crucially, the credit's value is directly tied to the CI score, which is calculated using the Department of Energy’s GREET model. Recent guidance from the U.S. Treasury has confirmed that farm-level practices—such as no-till, cover cropping, and efficient fertilizer use—will be factored into these lifecycle assessments via a forthcoming USDA-developed calculator.

This policy detail is precisely what makes the Verity-Bushel integration so timely and powerful. It provides the exact mechanism needed for farmers to document their practices and for fuel producers like Gevo to translate those practices into a lower CI score and a higher tax credit. The system creates the verifiable data trail that regulators require, turning federal climate policy into tangible market signals that resonate all the way back to the individual farmer. As the industry prepares for the implementation of Section 45Z, platforms that can provide this level of traceability and data integrity will become indispensable tools for competing in the new low-carbon fuel economy.