Part 1: CMI Orchards' Rose Vejvoda Discusses Heightened Environmental Awareness; Breaks Down Key Concepts

WENATCHEE, WA - Sometimes the most significant barrier to entry has the simplest fix: communication. As terms like sustainability, regenerative agriculture, carbon credits, and biochar become more prevalent in conversations about building a more environmentally friendly industry, companies like CMI Orchards are working to clarify their meanings, relevance, and purpose in today’s era of heightened environmental awareness.

In this two-part Q&A series, CMI’s resident sustainability expert, Rose Vejvoda, joins me to explore key concepts and vernacular that decision-makers should understand to make stronger business choices—and to show how the footprint we leave tomorrow doesn’t have to mirror the potential impact of our past.

Rose, thank you for taking the time to bring this conversation to the industry’s readership. Can you share with me why you believe it is essential to share this message?
 

Rose Vejvoda: At CMI Orchards, we know that terms related to sustainability and regenerative agriculture can feel a little overwhelming. However, this space is full of exciting innovations, and we want our partners and the industry to understand just how impressive these programs truly are.

From the orchards to The Soil Center, where the magic happens, we hope to make the conversation around these concepts more accessible and in that vein, make them more powerful tools for our partners.

To start, what is a carbon credit, and how are they generated?

RV: A carbon credit is a certificate that represents one ton of greenhouse gases reduced or removed from the atmosphere. They’re generated when a project proves it has cut emissions or pulled carbon out of the air, for example, through the use of renewable energy, forest restoration, or better farming practices.

At CMI Orchards and The Soil Center, we generate carbon credits by improving how we grow and manage our land: planting cover crops, building healthier soils that naturally store more carbon by using our carbon-rich soil amendments, such as worm castings, biochar, and compost, in our growing processes, and reducing fertilizer use. These practices lock carbon into the soil, rather than allowing it to escape into the atmosphere, and each measurable ton of carbon stored in this way can be converted into a carbon credit.

At The Soil Center, all our carbon credits are verified by Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard, the world's most widely used greenhouse gas crediting program.

What’s the difference between a carbon credit and a carbon inset? What about a carbon offset?

RV: Great question! When it comes down to it, a carbon credit is simply a unit that represents one ton of carbon dioxide, or another similar greenhouse gas, removed or reduced. It can be bought or sold on the carbon market.

On the other hand, both carbon insets and carbon offsets get a bit more specific about how they are sold and to whom. When a company or person buys carbon credits from outside projects, such as forest conservation in another country, to balance out their own emissions, that is a carbon offset. Offsets happen outside of a company’s direct operations. On the other hand, with carbon insets, the greenhouse gas reduction happens inside a company’s own supply chain.

At CMI Orchards, we are committed to selling the carbon credits we generate as carbon insets to help our supply chain partners reach their climate goals and keep the positive impact within the food industry.

Can you explain to us what biochar is, and how it sequesters carbon?

RV: Biochar is a charcoal-like material made by heating plant waste, like wood chips, or orchard prunings, in a low-oxygen environment. Instead of rotting or burning and releasing stored carbon back into the air, the carbon in that plant matter gets locked into a stable and solid form.

When biochar is added to soil, it can stay there for hundreds to thousands of years, effectively trapping carbon in the ground. Additionally, it can improve soil health by enhancing water retention and nutrient cycling. At CMI Orchards, we generate biochar at The Soil Center using our three biochar reactors, which utilize our orchard tree waste as feedstock. We then use this biochar in our orchards to complete the loop.

In part two, we will discover the story behind soil amendments, why worm farms are useful in growing, how you verify or measure these carbon credits, and much, much more.