Minnesota Research Stores Carbon in Retired Croplands

University team explores how abandoned farmland can help capture atmospheric carbon.

Apr. 3, 2026 at 9:00am

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An abstract, highly textured painting in soft earth tones, featuring sweeping geometric arcs, concentric circles, and precise botanical spirals, conceptually representing the complex interactions between plants, microbes, and atmospheric carbon in a retired cropland ecosystem.Abandoned farmlands in Minnesota are proving to be effective natural carbon sinks, as diverse plant and microbial communities work to draw down and store atmospheric CO2.East Bethel Today

A research team at the University of Minnesota College of Biological Sciences has discovered a novel way to store carbon from the atmosphere - by letting retired croplands revert to natural vegetation. The project, based at the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve in East Bethel, Minnesota, is studying how these abandoned farmlands can act as effective carbon sinks.

Why it matters

As the world grapples with rising greenhouse gas emissions, finding natural solutions to remove and store carbon is crucial. This Minnesota research provides a promising model for how retired agricultural lands could be leveraged to help mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration.

The details

The researchers are analyzing how different plant species and soil microbes interact to capture and store atmospheric carbon when croplands are allowed to return to a more natural state. Early findings suggest that diverse native plant communities are far more effective at drawing down and storing carbon than monoculture crops.

  • The research project began in 2020 at the Cedar Creek site in East Bethel, Minnesota.
  • The team has been collecting data on carbon storage in the retired croplands over the past 6 years.

The players

Eric Seabloom

A professor at the University of Minnesota College of Biological Sciences who is leading the carbon storage research project.

Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve

A 5,400-acre ecological research site owned by the University of Minnesota, where the abandoned cropland experiments are taking place.

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What they’re saying

“We're finding that when you let these lands go back to a more natural state, the diversity of plants and microbes helps pull carbon out of the air and store it in the soil.”

— Eric Seabloom, Professor, University of Minnesota

What’s next

The research team plans to continue monitoring the carbon storage in the retired croplands over the next several years to further quantify the climate benefits of this approach.

The takeaway

This Minnesota study demonstrates how abandoned farmlands can be leveraged as effective natural carbon sinks, providing a promising model for scaling up carbon sequestration efforts through strategic land management practices.