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Abstract
Carbon contracts have gained attention as a way to incentivize carbon-emissions reduction for the agricultural sector, particularly among beef-cattle producers.
Our study utilized data from a survey of 222 beef cattle producers in the southeastern United States to examine their knowledge, perceptions, and preferences regarding carbon contracts.
Survey respondents demonstrated a lack of accurate knowledge about carbon markets and contract specifications, with many overestimating the price of carbon.
Among the most common barriers to signing contracts were the cost of altering practices, the duration, and insufficient payments.
Further, our results indicated that producers require an additional $103.74/hectare ($42/acre) to accept a 15-year contract compared to a 5-year contract, and they prefer a fixed payment structure, requiring an additional $24.70/hectare ($10/acre) if the contract has a fluctuating price structure.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2026
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rala.2026.01.002
Funding Information
This material is based upon work supported by the United States Department of Agriculture, under agreement number NR233A750004G049.
Repository Citation
Wang, Zuyi; Thayer, Anastasia W.; De Figueiredo Silva, Felipe; Vassalos, Michael; Shockley, Jordan M.; and Smith, Nathan, "Beef cattle producers’ knowledge about and preferences for carbon contracts" (2026). Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications. 33.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/agecon_facpub/33
Notes/Citation Information
© 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of The Society for Range Management. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync/4.0/).