S2:E7 - 45Z Update: A Tax Credit Impacting Decisions On 40% of Corn Acres, with Mitchell Hora

What’s happening with Section 45Z—and what does it mean for farmers, ethanol producers, and the broader regenerative agriculture movement?

In this update episode, Continuum Ag founder and seventh-generation Iowa farmer Mitchell Hora returns to break down what’s new (and what’s still in limbo) for the 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit, how policy delays and the government shutdown are impacting adoption, and what’s next for the biofuels market.

We dive deep into how Continuum Ag’s TopSoil platform is helping farmers verify low-carbon practices, the economic realities of farmland, and why Mitchell believes soil health is more critical than ever for resilience and profitability.

We talk about:

• The latest developments and delays around 45Z and the USDA’s CI calculator
• How the “book-and-claim” model could unlock mass farmer participation
• Why 45Z could be the most powerful driver of regenerative adoption yet
• The collision between high input costs, rising land prices, and farm debt
• What Mitchell’s 2024 harvest revealed about the ROI of soil health
• Why keeping family farms viable will require new finance models and investor partnerships