Farmers Edge and National Sorghum Producers (NSP) have joined forces to solve a major data challenge in agriculture: building a scalable, trusted system to capture sustainability data directly from growers and deliver it across the ethanol supply chain.
The partnership, launched in 2024, will see the two organizations co-develop a system to streamline sustainability data collection, onboarding, and reporting, beginning at the farm level and extending through to ethanol plants and retailers. The goal is to enable hundreds of sorghum producers in the US to participate in emerging carbon intensity (CI) scoring and USDA programs related to CI scoring and sustainable fuels.
NSP, which provides a national voice for US sorghum growers and focuses on advancing policy, market development, and innovation, will join its deep relationships with growers and industry leadership with Farmers Edge technology infrastructure and managed services delivery model. The latter specializes in agronomy, sustainability data, and digital infrastructure for agriculture.
The challenge
CI scoring can help growers quantify—and potentially monetize—environmental and sustainability practices and their benefits. To meet the growing demand for this, NSP and Farmers Edge needed to rapidly onboard a significant segment of the US sorghum industry into a unified digital system—at scale and with precision.
Accuracy was critical, as access to USDA funding programs relies on high-quality, field-level data. The effort required more than deployment—it meant setting the foundation for validating diverse data sets across broad regions and helping growers turn compliance into opportunity, with minimal friction.
The solution
Farmers Edge implemented a managed services model for NSP, combining custom platform enhancements with hands-on delivery.
Key components included:
- Customized CI scoring workflows inside FarmCommand®, Farmers Edge’s data collection and visualization tool
Direct support from Farmers Edge subject matter experts - Training sessions to equip both NSP staff and producers
- Data QA and backend process management
Both teams invested more than 1,000 hours combined to deliver and refine the digital workflow for the program.
“This partnership is a clear example of how Managed Services can translate complex agricultural programs into scalable, high-impact solutions,” says Vibhore Arora, CEO of Farmers Edge.
“We’re focused on delivering the operational rigor and technical depth required to execute reliably and at scale.”
The results
This initiative is one of the first large-scale, service-based rollouts of CI scoring infrastructure in U.S. sorghum.
Rather than deploy a standalone tool, NSP and Farmers Edge have built a fully supported system they believe is designed to scale, evolve, and unlock real economic opportunity for producers.
The first season in 2024 set a strong foundation, illustrating that a managed services model can accelerate digital adoption in even the most complex agricultural environments.
Among the first season’s accomplishments are:
- Established a multi-state, grower-first program in under five months, onboarding 400-plus producers and setting a new benchmark for digital sustainability programs in row crops
- Finalized 2024 CI scoring datasets, enabling NSP growers to access USDA funding and laying the groundwork for carbon markets
- Initiated next-phase platform enhancements, adding new analytics, reporting tools, and integration capabilities for 2025
- Launched downstream data exchange pilots, establishing the framework for field-to-fuel traceability with ethanol partners
- “Farmers push the boundaries of sustainability through innovations that make their operations more efficient and resilient every day,” says Matt Durler, NSP Managing Director of Farm Programs.
”Our job is to help them tell their story in a verifiable manner that builds a bridge to better market opportunities. With Farmers Edge, we’ve created a system that works for farmers and helps position their farm for long-term success.”
What’s next
The roadmap for 2025 includes new grower enrollments, downstream system integration with ethanol blenders and retailers, and early exploration of voluntary sustainability credit programs. The long-term vision is a seamless, end-to-end digital ecosystem that captures and communicates the full sustainability story of sorghum—from farm gate to final product.
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