“Farmers are the backbones of rural communities,” says Sarah Brown-Bennett, head of public affairs at BASF Agricultural Solutions North America.
“When farms are profitable, there’s a place for the next generation. At BASF, we think it’s vital to invest in these communities. If you want them to be strong, you need strong farms.”
Of course, strong farms are also critical for the retailers who serve them. Retailers guide their customers toward the innovative tools necessary to achieve success, whether through new products that boost yields or programs that can enhance the value of a farmer’s crop. “ These retailers are part of those rural communities,” Brown-Bennett says. “If those economies are suffering, it will deeply impact the retailer’s business.”
LOOKING TOWARD TOMORROW
Protecting the future of those communities requires helping the next generation that will take over doing the Biggest Job on Earth. Since 1956, BASF’s support for Future Farmers of America (FFA) has been unwavering, with donations of more than one million dollars since 2022. Company employees chartered an FFA alumni chapter of their own in 2020, through which more than 160 members donate their time and money to help shape tomorrow’s farmers and industry leaders.
“As an FFA member, I greatly benefitted from the volunteer time that community members and industry representatives invested in my chapter and me,” says Brittany Lloyd, global head of seeds quality at BASF U.S. Agricultural Solutions and a chapter member. “Now, as an alum, it is my turn to give back to the next generation, and it is great to work for an employer that promotes this.”
BASF also has created programs that foster interest in agriculture for younger kids, such as Safety Scouts, which engages children as young as three years old in farm safety, providing information and activities that enable them to be the safety ambassadors of the family farm. Kids learn the importance of farm safety and have fun while doing it. The program provides 2,000 activity-and-resource kits to U.S. farm families and another 2,000 for Canada.
BASF also partners with commodity organizations and other industry groups to provide academic scholarships to students interested in pursuing careers in agriculture. The health and safety of rural communities depend on the next generation leading the way on profitable farms. Providing education and opportunity for that generation is critical to the industry’s long-term success.
SUPPORTING AG’S EVOLUTION
The face of agriculture is becoming more diverse as women and minorities play bigger roles in the industry. BASF celebrates this evolution and supports it in various ways to help ensure continued opportunities for anyone interested in feeding a growing global population. The company has partnered with Women in Food and Agriculture (WFA) for
the “Force for Change” campaign, which promotes inclusion, diversity and equity within the global industry. BASF is also a sponsor of the biannual Women in Agribusiness Summit.
Easing the road toward a career in agriculture for minorities is another part of BASF’s mission. To achieve this goal, BASF is a Titanium Sponsor of the annual MANRRS conference. MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences) is a national organization founded in 1982 to empower minority students and professionals within these fields of study.
HEALTHY FARMS, HEALTHY COMMUNITIES
A thriving agriculture industry begins with successful farmers in the communities where they live. While BASF will continue to create innovative products and programs to solve agronomic and environmental challenges that farmers face, the company’s goals, vision and investment are even broader in scope.
“We’re committed beyond innovation,” Brown-Bennett says. “ The solutions are only as good as the farmers and communities that can implement them. That’s why it’s so important to us that those farms and communities
are strong.”
