 Investments in carbon capture that will take advantage of North Dakota's unique geology look to shrink those footprints even more. Ethanol is pioneering carbon capture. While the world talks about it, ethanol is doing it. Here, now, reducing the carbon footprint. North Dakota's corn producers are increasingly efficient stewards of the land, producing more on the same land with less inputs. Yields increasing 25 to 42 percent in the last 20 years.