45Z Program
What your low-CI bushels could be worth
The 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit rewards ethanol made from lower-carbon-intensity corn. That makes the way you farm part of your grain’s value — but only if it can be proven. Here’s how the practices you already use, measured and documented, translate into value per bushel.
The credit goes to the ethanol plant — but a plant earns a bigger credit on lower-CI corn, which is why a documented low-CI bushel can be worth more to the buyer. The hinge is documentation.
Want to know your CI score? Use our 45Z Calculator.
Enter a few details, and we'll give you an estimate of what your low CI grain could be worth.
How a practice becomes a premium
You farm the practice
Reduced-till, cover crops, or smarter nutrient management lower the carbon intensity of the corn you grow.
EarthOptics makes it provable
We measure and document your soil and practices so the lower CI stands up to a plant’s certifier.
A bushel can earn more
A verified low-CI bushel is worth more to a buyer chasing a larger 45Z credit — value that can be shared back to you.
FAQs
What is the 45Z credit?
It’s a federal tax credit — the Clean Fuel Production Credit — for companies that make low-carbon transportation fuels, including the ethanol made from your corn. It replaced the older blender credits, runs through the end of 2029, and pays based on how clean the fuel is rather than a flat amount per gallon.
The credit goes to the ethanol plant. What’s in it for me?
The cleaner the corn, the bigger the plant’s credit — up to about $1.00 a gallon. That gives plants a reason to seek out, and pay more for, lower-carbon corn. It doesn’t pay you directly, but it can make a documented low-CI bushel worth more at the elevator. How much of that reaches you depends on your agreement with the buyer.
What does “carbon intensity” mean?
Carbon intensity, or CI, is a score for the greenhouse-gas emissions tied to growing and processing the corn across its full lifecycle. Lower is better. The fuel is measured against a federal benchmark, and the further below it the fuel scores, the larger the credit it earns.
Which of my practices lower CI?
Three practice families the rules recognize: reduced-till or no-till, cover crops, and enhanced-efficiency fertilizer or nutrient management. Each lowers emissions a different way — less soil disturbance, more carbon held in the ground, and fewer nitrogen losses.
Curious what that could add up to on your own acres? The CI estimator gives you a rough range in about a minute.
So can I get paid for those practices today?
Not yet — and this is the honest part. The February 2026 proposed rule recognizes these practices, but the adjustments can’t be claimed in the credit until USDA finalizes its Feedstock Carbon Intensity Calculator and the federal fuel model is updated to use it. That’s expected during 2026. Until then, treat any practice value as a planning estimate, not a payment.
How would my practices actually get counted?
You’d document them through the USDA calculator to produce a feedstock report, verified by an independent, accredited third party. A “qualified certifier” can sit between your private farm data and the plant, so you share what’s needed for the claim without handing over everything about your operation.
Where does EarthOptics come in?
Every one of those steps runs on documented, field-level data. We’re a soil intelligence company: we measure and document your soil and practices so a low-CI bushel can be proven and stand up to a verifier. We’re your measurement and documentation partner — not a carbon buyer, and never between you and your grain.
Where things stand
The credit is live; the part that rewards your practices is still being finalized.
- Jan 1, 2025 - 45Z takes effect, replacing the prior blender credits.
- Feb 3, 2026 - Treasury and IRS issue the proposed rule — removing the land-use penalty for North American corn and setting a North American feedstock requirement.
- Expected during 2026 - USDA finalizes its Feedstock Carbon Intensity Calculator and the fuel model is updated — the point at which practice adjustments become usable in the credit.
- Dec 31, 2029 - The credit is currently set to expire.
45Z is still in its proposed-rule stage, and the details that matter most to growers — especially how practices are scored — can change before they’re final. Nothing here is tax, legal, or financial advice.
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