A first-of-its-kind, non-invasive sensing technology adds continuous, landscape-scale measurement to Grassroots Carbon’s science-led soil carbon MRV system
San Antonio, TX, March 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Grassroots Carbon today announced the launch of GroundOwl, a new soil carbon measurement technology developed in partnership with EarthOptics, which will be exclusively deployed by Grassroots Carbon across U.S. grasslands and grazing lands. With GroundOwl, the company enhances its soil carbon measurement capabilities at scale by pairing its existing meter-deep soil sampling program with high-resolution, non-invasive EMI sensing across the entire ranch.
GroundOwl – aptly named for providing visibility in dark conditions – uses advanced electromagnetic sensors to scan soils up to one meter deep without disturbing the land, producing high-resolution maps of soil properties, such as soil organic carbon, across ranches and rangelands. Rather than replacing physical soil sampling, GroundOwl adds a continuous, landscape-scale layer of insight that fills spatial and temporal gaps between sampling cycles.
Grassroots Carbon already requires soil core sampling to 1-meter deep (100 cm), more than three times deeper than the industry norm of 30cms, to measure carbon that is more stable and durable over time. By layering GroundOwl’s sensing across entire ranches, the company gains a clearer picture of how soil carbon is distributed and changing across working lands, while maintaining a measurement-first approach to monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV).
“GroundOwl is redefining soil carbon measurement, providing deeper and broader insights on soil health than previously thought imaginable,” said Lars Dyrud, CEO of EarthOptics. “GroundOwl helps us see what’s happening not just at a precise point, but across whole landscapes. This is critical for understanding change at the scale this work demands and the scale climate solutions require.”
The vision is for GroundOwl to integrate directly with Grassroots Carbon’s PastureMap platform, giving ranchers field-level visibility into soil carbon patterns across their land. These insights support more informed grazing decisions, improved forage productivity, and long-term land resilience by helping ranchers align management practices with on-the-ground conditions.
“So much of what happens in soil is invisible, even to the people managing the land every day. When you can visualize how soil properties vary across grazing lands, it ensures each unique part of the ranch is managed optimally,” said Brad Tipper, CEO of Grassroots Carbon. “We believe you cannot manage what you cannot measure and through this partnership the GroundOwl turns complex soil data into something practical and usable, helping connect what’s happening below ground to decisions made in the field. We’re excited to bring GroundOwl to our ranching partners, putting these insights directly into their hands so they can inform day-to-day management decisions on the ground.”
“Ranchers are managing incredibly complex ecosystems every day, often without being able to fully see what’s happening beneath the surface,” said Dr. Allen Williams, regenerative grazing pioneer. “When you can visualize how soil properties and ecosystem biodiversity vary across a ranch, it changes the way grazing management plans are built and applied. That kind of insight doesn’t just benefit the rancher – it benefits the land, the wildlife, the water cycle, and ultimately the communities and food systems that depend on healthy grasslands.”
Grassroots Carbon currently partners with ranchers across more than 2 million acres in 22 states, operating the largest grassland soil carbon program in the United States. The company was the first in the U.S. to issue regenerative grazing soil carbon credits and, earlier this year, became the first U.S. company to deliver 1.9 million tons of carbon removals, with more than 1.5 million tons already retired by corporate partners to manage their emissions. Since 2022, Grassroots Carbon has made more than $40 million in direct payments to ranchers for sequestered carbon.
GroundOwl builds on a long-standing collaboration between Grassroots Carbon and EarthOptics and marks the first chapter in a broader innovation roadmap. Additional science-driven tools planned for 2026 will further deepen insight into soil health, carbon durability, and ecological outcomes.
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About Grassroots Carbon
Grassroots Carbon partners with ranchers to build resilient operations that honor heritage and shape the future of ranching, stewarding healthy soils, restoring grasslands, strengthening ecosystems, and enriching rural communities. By unlocking the potential of America’s 655 million acres of working lands to store carbon, these landscapes can become one of the planet’s most powerful climate solutions for generations to come.
Grassroots Carbon currently works with ranchers across 2 million acres in 22 states, implementing regenerative practices that improve soil health, restore bird habitats, and drive measurable, nature-based carbon drawdown. The company collaborates with leading organizations, including Audubon Conservation Ranching, Texas Agricultural Land Trust, and Colorado State University’s Soil Carbon Solutions Center to ensure scientific rigor and transparency.
Grassroots Carbon’s soil carbon credits are trusted by leading corporations, including Nestlé, Microsoft, Shopify, Olipop, Chevron and Boeing, to advance their carbon commitments and reach their sustainability goals.
About EarthOptics
Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, EarthOptics harnesses advances in soil-sensing technologies, genomics, and data science to provide farmers and ranchers with deep, actionable insights into their soil’s chemical, physical, and biological properties. By blending cutting-edge laboratory analysis with industry-leading field-based sensors, we deliver powerful predictive insights that enable producers to optimize input use, improve soil health, increase yields, and unlock new opportunities in sustainable agriculture. EarthOptics is also the leading carbon measurement company in the U.S., supporting the growth of carbon markets with accurate, verifiable soil data. The company has offices in Raleigh, North Carolina; Emeryville, California; Blacksburg, Virginia; and Fayetteville, Arkansas, with laboratories in Emeryville, California, and Memphis, Tennessee. Learn more at www.EarthOptics.com.
CONTACT: Media Contact: grassrootscarbon@yulupr.com
