Making Soil Carbon Measurement Faster, Cheaper, & Easier

Soil carbon is the cornerstone of regenerative agriculture — but if we can’t measure it affordably and accurately, how can we scale it?

In this episode of the ReGen Brands Podcast, we dive into the future of soil carbon measurement with Chris Tolles, Co-Founder and CEO of Yard Stick. Chris and his team are making it radically easier to measure the carbon stored in soils — without breaking the bank or digging up half the field.

The Graph That Changed Everything

When Chris first encountered a scientific paper showing how cheaply soil carbon could be sequestered compared to other climate solutions, it hit him like lightning. In one visual, he saw both massive potential and massive neglect. The data showed soil carbon was one of the cheapest ways to capture and store carbon — yet no one was investing in it at scale.

But there was a catch: no one could agree on how to measure it.

Soil carbon is hard to measure, incredibly variable, and deeply contextual. Historically, you had to dig up samples, ship them to a lab, and wait weeks for combustion-based analysis — an approach that was expensive, slow, and limiting for supporting large-scale change.

“The science is there, the business model is hard — and if you’re excited about that, then maybe you’re the kind of person that should work in soil carbon.”
– Chris Tolles

Burn It or Beam It? A Simpler Way to Measure Soil

Yard Stick’s breakthrough lies in soil spectroscopy — a technique that uses light to measure carbon content directly in the field. Instead of burning the soil in a lab, their probe beams light into the ground, captures what’s reflected back, and uses machine learning models to predict organic carbon levels.

It’s faster, cheaper, and scalable — eliminating the need for costly lab analysis. And because it works in real-time, it dramatically reduces the friction of large-scale measurement projects.

“We’re not taking a snapshot of the soil — we’re taking a movie. And that lets us see what’s changing over time, what’s happening below the surface, and how those changes reflect carbon dynamics.”
– Chris Tolles

Who Needs Better Soil Data (And Why It Matters)

From carbon project developers to farmland investment funds to CPG brands with regenerative goals — Yard Stick is solving a shared problem: the need for credible, cost-effective, and scalable soil carbon data.

For large consumer brands, in particular, this data provides visibility into commodity supply chain health — not just for storytelling or ESG reporting, but to reduce risk and increase resilience.

“They want to understand the supply chain’s health. They want to understand the upstream dynamics before they’re reflected in price spikes or availability challenges.”
– Chris Tolles

Why the Capital Isn’t Flowing to Soil (Yet)

Despite all the momentum around climate solutions, food and agriculture still receive a tiny fraction of climate investment. Soil carbon in particular is underfunded — often because it's messy, decentralized, and doesn’t look like a software business.

Chris unpacks why venture capital isn’t always the right fit for food and ag innovation, and offers a sober view on how the voluntary carbon market might evolve over the next decade. There’s both optimism and realism in his perspective — and a firm belief that more accessible measurement is a necessary precondition for progress.

“The problem isn’t the technology. It’s that we’ve tried to shove a SaaS business model into every climate solution — and that doesn’t always fit.”
– Chris Tolles

Why Measuring Soil Is Mission-Critical for Regen

If we’re going to unlock the promise of regenerative agriculture, we have to measure what matters — starting with soil.

Yard Stick’s approach brings scientific rigor and practical accessibility together in a way that could help catalyze trust, capital, and growth across the ecosystem. By making soil carbon measurement easier, cheaper, and faster, they’re laying the foundation for a more accountable and scalable regenerative future.

This ReGen Recap was written by Anthony Corsaro with the help of ChatGPT

You can check out the full episode with Chris Tolles @ Yard Stick HERE

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