Soil organic carbon measurement is now underway on Million Acre Challenge farms across Southwestern Ontario, marking a significant step towards measuring the real-world impact of climate-smart agriculture.

The testing, part of the Million Acre Challenge led by the Canadian Alliance for Net-Zero Agri-Food (CANZA), builds a credible data foundation allowing participating farmers to be recognized and rewarded for their efforts in climate-smart agriculture.

Sampling began in late April on farms near Sarnia and will expand eastward across the region in the coming weeks. The work is being carried out by Agricarbon, a firm specializing in direct soil organic carbon measurement for regenerative agriculture and environmental markets.

As part of the Challenge’s multi-year timeframe, Agricarbon will return to the same fields after three years to measure how soil organic carbon levels change over time, providing concrete evidence of the impact of sustained regenerative practices.

“This isn’t a one-off soil test — it’s the start of a multi-year measurement program designed to show what is actually happening in the ground as farming practices evolve,” said Pierre Kim, Commercial Director for North America at Agricarbon. “If regenerative agriculture is going to work at scale, it has to be measurable and repeatable.”

The Million Acre Challenge is currently focused on farms in Southwestern Ontario, with the goal of building out to 365,000 acres involved in the next five years. Currently, around 30 farmers are signed up to participate in the first cohort representing around 15,000 acres.

The initiative is designed to reduce the financial risk for farmers adopting practices that lower emissions, improve soil health, and preserve water quality.

“The start of soil carbon testing is a major step forward for the Million Acre Challenge,” said Ashley Honsberger, Interim Executive Director of CANZA. “With this work underway, we’re building the scientific basis for positive climate outcomes from climate-smart agriculture, while supporting farmers to innovate and find solutions that work for them on their farms.”

As the program scales, the data collected through direct measurement will play a critical role in shaping how farmers, markets, and policymakers understand and reward verified environmental outcomes.