ADM Launches Nebraska Carbon Credits

LINCOLN, Neb. (DTN) -- Archer Daniels Midland plans to enter the voluntary carbon dioxide removal market with credits generated from its corn complex in Columbus, Nebraska, the company announced on Monday.

ADM said the plant is the largest bioethanol carbon capture facility in the world, with more than 800,000 tons of annual carbon removal capacity.

The company said its credit offering on the voluntary market expects to be one of the largest of its kind.

ADM would join the likes of other ag companies in the voluntary market, including Indigo Ag, Corteva Agriscience, Perdue Farms Arva Intelligence and Agreena.

The announcement comes as the USDA under the Trump administration continues to eliminate and restrict funding for greenhouse gas reduction programs. The agency canceled climate-smart farming grants in April 2025, including the $3 billion Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program.

Certification and issuance of the initial carbon-removal credits is expected by the end of the year, according to ADM.

Once the certification and verification process is completed, the company said it would begin a 15-year crediting period, "positioning the Columbus carbon capture facility to deliver carbon removal credits for years to come," according to a news release.

ADM, in partnership with Tallgrass, inaugurated carbon capture and storage operations in Columbus in 2025.

CO2 is captured from ethanol fermentation at ADM's corn-processing facility and then purified, compressed and transported to Tallgrass's eastern Wyoming sequestration hub for underground storage via CCS wells regulated under a Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality Class VI permit.

ADM's credits are undergoing certification and issuance by Puro.earth, an infrastructure provider for engineered carbon dioxide removal.

"ADM has more than a decade of experience supporting carbon capture and geologic storage, including operating Class VI wells at our Decatur, Illinois, facility," said Kris Lutt, ADM's vice president of innovation and growth.

"That experience, together with Tallgrass' CO2 transportation and sequestration system and the capabilities of other project participants, positions us to connect agricultural production with growing carbon removal markets at scale. We're already working with customers in our own value chains to help them meet their ambitious goals. This substantial carbon removal offering will allow us to expand our efforts to new customers across multiple industries, from technology and finance to aviation and pharmaceuticals."

ADM has more than 650 employees in Nebraska, and its processing complex in Columbus includes wet and dry mills that transform corn into food ingredients, fuels and animal feed products.

"Our growth strategy is predicated on smart investments that build on our world-class footprint, and carbon capture is a great example of that," Lutt said.

"More broadly, we view agriculture as a powerful engine to lower carbon, and our capabilities uniquely position us to help deliver for stakeholders across value chains. From our leadership in regenerative agriculture, to our expanding capabilities in renewable natural gas, to our innovative work in CCS, we're working to advance new ways in which agriculture can drive business results and power emerging lower-carbon solutions."

Todd Neeley can be reached at todd.neeley@dtn.com

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