Key Takeaways
- BASF introduced Circalo™: Low Carbon Intensity Crops to support agricultural carbon intensity (CI) documentation under Section 45Z.
- The platform connects farmers, agronomists, and biorefineries using xarvio® FIELD MANAGER and xarvio BIOENERGY.
- Circalo™ enables standardized data capture, aggregation, and third-party verification of low-CI feedstocks.
- The system supports ethanol producers seeking to qualify for Clean Fuel Production Credit incentives.
- Circalo™ is operational for the 2026 growing season, including look-back eligibility for 2025.
BASF Introduces Circalo™: Low Carbon Intensity Crops to Support Section 45Z Compliance
BASF has launched Circalo™: Low Carbon Intensity Crops, a unified digital platform designed to help farmers, agronomists, and ethanol producers operationalize agricultural carbon intensity (CI) under evolving regulatory frameworks, including the Clean Fuel Production Credit (Section 45Z).
As the U.S. ethanol sector prepares for Section 45Z implementation, agricultural feedstock CI is expected to become a central factor in competitiveness and market access. While many farmers already use conservation practices that can lower CI, ethanol producers require verifiable and scalable documentation systems to incorporate these improvements into plant-level CI strategies.
Chad Asmus, Sustainability Market Development Manager for BASF Agricultural Solutions, said: “Farming doesn’t happen in a vacuum, it’s a broad system where every choice has ripple effects throughout the value chain. We have developed Circalo: Low Carbon Intensity Crops to combine agronomic expertise with economic opportunity, so farmers can potentially receive new revenue and recognition for their conservation practices.”
BASF: Connecting Farm-Level Practices to Verified CI Reporting
Circalo™ integrates xarvio® FIELD MANAGER for farm-level agronomic data capture and xarvio BIOENERGY for biorefinery-level aggregation and reporting. The system documents practices such as cover cropping, reduced tillage, and nutrient management, calculating carbon intensity in line with proposed 45Z requirements.
Through standardized data aggregation across a biorefinery’s grower network, Circalo™ supports the generation of verified Biofuel Feedstock Reports. Third-party verification is incorporated to help meet regulatory and audit requirements tied to low-CI feedstock eligibility.
Jeff Carver, xarvio BIOENERGY Key Account Manager for BASF, said: “45Z changes the conversation for ethanol. Carbon intensity is no longer just a reporting exercise, it’s a business driver. Circalo: Low Carbon Intensity Crops is built to help ethanol plants work directly with the agronomy partners and farmer networks to document real, measurable ag practices so the data flows seamlessly and securely.”
Platform Designed for Ethanol Ecosystem
BASF stated that Circalo™: Low Carbon Intensity Crops is tailored for ethanol producers seeking practical, defensible CI reductions rooted in documented farm practices. Biorefineries can use xarvio BIOENERGY to structure their own low-CI feedstock programs, optimize supplier incentives, and track total bushels alongside average CI metrics.
“Ethanol producers don’t need another pilot or promise, they need execution,” Asmus said. “BASF is ready today with digital tools, agronomic expertise, and a scalable system that helps plants prepare for 45Z and beyond.”
The platform is fully operational for the 2026 growing season and supports look-back opportunities from the 2025 season. BASF indicated that the xarvio system is designed to evolve alongside final guidance from the U.S. Treasury Department and USDA as methodologies and verification standards are finalized.
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