Payment curves by corn CI
Lower carbon intensity generally earns a higher premium. Step changes represent published payment tiers, not interpolated prices.
Selected CI comparison
Indicative published premium per qualifying bushel
| Producer | Premium ($/bu) | Rank |
|---|
Choose a CI score
CI Feedstock Calculator ↗Select producers
Premium ranking
Rankings show schedule amounts only, not eligibility, payment certainty, or net farmer proceeds.
Program notes and conversion assumptions
Corn reference baseline: 6,020 g CO₂e/bu. Program schedules are indicative and subject to each producer’s current eligibility, verification and delivery requirements.
Absolute Energy
Absolute Energy publishes premiums from $0.05 to $0.50 per bushel using CI thresholds in g CO₂e/MJ. This comparison provisionally converts those thresholds using 392 MJ/bu. That conversion factor and the underlying system boundary have not been verified, so its position in the chart and rankings is illustrative and should not be used for commercial decisions until confirmed. Payments are conditional on the plant reaching a 45Z tax-credit bracket. Separate nutrient-budget incentives of $1,000 or $2,000 are excluded.
ADM
ADM publishes four corn CI bands: 4,500 or higher earns $0.05/bu; 3,200–4,499 earns $0.15/bu; 2,150–3,199 earns $0.20/bu; and 2,149 or lower earns $0.25/bu. Delivery, eligibility and verification requirements apply.
Big River Resources
The supplied 25-tier schedule uses strict less-than CI thresholds. Below 5,725 g CO₂e/bu earns $0.03/bu, increasing by $0.03 per tier to $0.75/bu below 229. The numerical schedule matches Golden Grain Energy, but producer terms may differ. No payment rate is published for scores at or above 5,725; the comparison treats those as not listed, not a confirmed zero premium.
Golden Grain Energy
The supplied schedule lists 25 strict less-than CI thresholds, from $0.03/bu below 5,725 g CO₂e/bu to $0.75/bu below 229. Its payment values match Big River Resources, but eligibility and other program terms may differ. No payment rate is listed at or above 5,725.
Green Plains
Farm Forward publishes five corn CI bands: 5,000 or higher earns $0.05/bu; 4,250–4,999 earns $0.10/bu; 3,500–4,249 earns $0.15/bu; 2,750–3,499 earns $0.20/bu; and 2,749 or lower earns $0.25/bu. Producer-specific participation requirements apply.
Little Sioux Corn Processors
The supplied 2026 crop schedule uses detailed 50 g CO₂e/bu increments, with published values including $0.06/bu at 5,000, $0.17/bu at 4,000, $0.28/bu at 3,000 and up to $0.60/bu at zero. The schedule is numerically identical to Siouxland Ethanol’s, but this is a separate producer program with its own eligibility and delivery requirements.
Louis Dreyfus Company
The Grand Junction, Iowa, 2027 corn program lists $0.00/bu at 5,590 or higher, $0.04/bu at 5,589 and tiers increasing to $0.59/bu at 394. Eligible practices include cover crops, reduced/minimum tillage or at least 50% of nitrogen from manure. LDC says it arranges third-party verification at no farmer cost. Eligible bushels must be delivered in 2027; the schedule may change. A possible 2026 program is not confirmed.
Marquis
Marquis expresses its schedule as reductions from a baseline CI and publishes both full and advance values. For this comparison, reduction percentages are applied to the 6,020 g CO₂e/bu corn baseline. For example, a 30% reduction corresponds to 4,214 g CO₂e/bu and a published full value of $0.20/bu. The chart uses full values; advance payments are lower and may differ because of rounding.
Siouxland Ethanol
The supplied schedule uses detailed 50 g CO₂e/bu increments, with published values including $0.06/bu at 5,000, $0.17/bu at 4,000, $0.28/bu at 3,000 and up to $0.60/bu at zero. It matches Little Sioux Corn Processors numerically, but eligibility, delivery and other program conditions should be reviewed independently.
Homeland Energy Solutions
Homeland Energy Solutions has a published 45Z program information page, but a verified numerical premium schedule has not been supplied for this comparison. It is therefore linked here but excluded from the payment chart and rankings.
Sources and methodology
Payment tiers are transcribed from the producer materials supplied for this comparison. The corn reference baseline is 6,020 g CO₂e/bu; the soybean reference baseline is 7,682 g CO₂e/bu. Marquis percentages are converted using the corn baseline. Absolute Energy’s g CO₂e/MJ conversion is provisional and unverified. A missing published tier is not the same as a confirmed $0.00 payment. Consult each linked producer program for current terms before making financial decisions.
Payment curves by soybean CI
Compare published soybean program premiums using the same chart structure as the corn page. New producers can be added to the program data.
Selected CI comparison
Indicative premium per qualifying soybean bushel
| Producer / program | Premium ($/bu) | Rank |
|---|
Choose a CI score
CI Feedstock Calculator ↗Select producers
Premium ranking
Additional soybean producers will appear here as their published schedules are added.
Program notes and scoring assumptions
Soybean reference baseline: 7,682 g CO₂e/bu. ADM is the only soybean program with a published premium schedule supplied for this comparison; additional programs can be incorporated as they become available.
ADM
ADM re:generations offers a $0.20/bu premium for soybean field scores of 1,999 g CO₂e/bu or lower, and a $0.05/bu guaranteed premium for scores of 2,000 or higher, subject to eligibility. Each field receives a score reflecting cover crops before soybeans, tillage disturbance and nitrogen-use efficiency. The T-DISC thresholds are ≤0.075 for no-till and ≤0.252 for reduced tillage. To receive the full no-till scoring benefit, fields must be managed with no-till for at least four of the next five years.
Soybeans must be sold directly to ADM, delivered to an eligible ADM location and within the applicable delivery window. Non-GMO and other specialty soybeans are excluded. The standard 2026 delivery window is September 1, 2026–August 31, 2027, and the standard 2027 window is September 1, 2027–August 31, 2028; certain locations use August 1–July 31 windows. Gradable handles field data collection and scoring. Deliveries across the operation’s accounts are combined and allocated to eligible production at the highest applicable premium first, with payment to one designated entity. Acres receiving other privately funded sustainability-program incentives are not eligible for ADM incentives.
Sources and methodology
Source: supplied ADM re:generations Soybean Program | 2026 & 2027 flyer. The soybean baseline of 7,682 g CO₂e/bu is the reference value used to calculate the displayed percentage reduction. The chart, table, filters and rankings use the soybean program dataset and can accommodate future published schedules. Premiums are indicative; consult current ADM program terms and delivery-location requirements.