Sustainability-0

Indigo Ag and Truterra Form ‘Landmark Collaboration’ in Carbon

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 16:42:23 GMT

Today, Indigo Ag and Truterra announced they are aligning their carbon efforts for further expansion.

After being in the market alongside each other for four years, Truterra will begin offering Indigo Ag carbon programs, and Indigo Ag science will back Truterra’s carbon measurement.

Leaders of both companies say this has a three-prong goal for the carbon opportunities in front of farmers:

Simplifying
Scaling
Standardizing

“We’ve got to stop double investment,” says Ewan Lamont, Head of Indigo’s Sustainability Solutions business “Both companies have been investing in same things, and it makes absolutely no sense. This work is expensive, it’s difficult, and it involves biology and sustainability science so it’s challenging.”

Lamont specifically says this partnership does not reduce Indigo Ag team members in the field selling and promoting their programs.

Jamie Leifker, President of Truterra, says previous years’ programs for carbon credits have sold out of the tons Truterra enrolled. Leifker is bullish on how adding Indigo Ag into their portfolio will expand opportunities for farmers.

“This market is fragmented and decentralized with inconsistent standards,” he says. “Farmers have a lot of questions—'how do I know what program is right for me?’ What this collaboration means for us is that we’re able to then guide them to the right program by working with Indigo to expand the portfolio of program options that farmers have and give them flexibility to move from one program to the next.”

For 2025, the partnership has two goals:

expanding access to registry-based credit opportunities through Indigo’s carbon program for farmers and ag retailers in the Truterra network
expanding Indigo’s and Truterra’s scope 3 programs, using consistent standards, for companies seeking to reduce emissions from within their grain and livestock ingredients supply chain

Lamont says, “This partnership is a big manifestation of the carbon market standing up and really maturing. I can’t think of a better group of guys to doing it with. We will work to align to the rules in the road and therefore expand opportunities.”

The Scoop Podcast: Could Tech Revolutionize Drift Damage Claims?

Wed, 13 Nov 2024 16:29:59 GMT

The team at Aanika Bio are bringing forward a novel idea---take a packet of synthetic biology (think of a Kool-Aid mix packet), put it in your spray tank, which is then paired with spray drift insurance, and if a drift claim is made, you can get results in a week—not months.

“We think a lot of spray drift claims are handled very subjectively. There’s no real objective data, and there’s a lot of false information out there,” says Aanika Bio co-founder and CEO Vishaal Bhuyan . “We’re actually offering clarity into these situations, because we don’t think in a lot of these circumstances the damages are as bad as made it out to be.”

HOW IT WORKS

Aanika Bio puts their synthetic biology in a dry powder or liquid form, which provides a unique DNA sequence traceable on the leaf’s surface.

“We can actually detect one droplet that’s sprayed onto five pounds of soybean leaves. So it’s literally one square yard of plant surface we can detect one droplet and tell you where that droplet came from,” says Jamie Richards, CTO at Aanika Bio.

Part of the Lloyds of London network, Aanika Bio is backed by a reinsurance company and offers their own insurance underwriting.

“We are offering coverages in a way that has never existed before,” Bhuyan says.

MARKET APPROACH

The company leaders say the product is offered for between $1 to $2/acre. They aim to be on hundreds of thousands of acres in 2025 via partnerships with ag retailers.

Hear more on The Scoop Podcast:

How To Elevate Agriculture: Ag Retailer Steps Up On The TEDx Stage

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 21:04:43 GMT

A man who is no stranger to advocacy was on a mission. Mike Twining has been working toward taking a fact-based appeal to the stage of TEDx—the primetime way of sharing big ideas with potentially a big audience for big impact.

This spring, mission accomplished . Twining spoke at a TEDx event hosted by Grand Canyon University and delivered his talk “Saving the Planet With Your Food Choices.”

In his day job, Twining is vice president of sales and marketing at Willard Agri-Service, and for the past 40 years, he’s worked side by side with crop consultants to help farmers make the best decisions agronomically, environmentally and economically. Twining has taken on leadership roles within the Agricultural Retailers Association and stepped up to the call when needed, so much so that ARA awarded him the Excellent in Advocacy Award just last year.

But the calling to take his message to TEDx stage was greater than any doubts that surfaced about being in a room that may not include a single other person familiar with commercial agriculture.

“I hope my ideas spark curiosity and conversation beyond the standard sound bites we all hear about how our food is raised,” Twining says. “It’s easy sometimes to think that we have all the information, but still draw the wrong conclusion. Agriculture is one of the few industries that can scale globally in the next decade to meaningfully reduce climate change.”

He proposes there are three topics around food products we are consistently misled as consumers:

Organics
Genetically modified organisms
Glyphosate

And he proposes how consumers can incentive solutions with food buying purchases to give farmers the right tools and incentives.

The full presentation is available here (and it’s a tight 12 minutes.)

Will USDA Fumble The 45Z Football?

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 15:29:11 GMT

The clock is ticking on the U.S. government to provide clarity around the 45Z tax credits outlined in the Inflation Reduction Act. The provisions are scheduled to go into effect beginning Jan. 1, 2025.

But the latest efforts in Washington D.C. could change the size of opportunity for farmers who sell their grain with a carbon intensity score.

“USDA is trying to put some guidance together to help the Department of Treasury with the final 45Z rules,” explains Mitchell Hora, founder of Continuum Ag. “This administration has been keen on climate smart ag and climate smart commodities. But climate smart ag and low carbon feed stocks for biofuels are not the same thing.”

Hora says the distinction between the two will help ensure farmers are able to pursue the largest incentive. Whereas bundles were used with 40B and other previous programs, Hora contends 45Z needs to use the Department of Energy’s GREET model.

“If bundles are used, it stifles farmer innovation—it waters down the impact,” he says.

As an example, he offers a farm from northeast Iowa.

When implementing no-till, cover crops, and manure, the farm averages a 250 bu. yield. With a bundled approach, there’s $0.00 incentive. However, using the GREET model, there’s a -4.6 carbon intensity score equating up to $1.82/bu value.

“We have to get this done right. The weight of this decision is massive. The ripple effect 45Z could have is tremendous.”

Continuum Ag has scored more than 330 million bushels using the GREET model.

“It takes five minutes, is very scalable, and we’re offering it for free,” he says.

Hear more in Hora’s latest conversation on AgriTalk with host Chip Flory.

Your Next Read:

Carbon Intensity Is Going To Be A Team Sport

It's Go Time: Prepare Your Data Now For Biofuels Tax Credits

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 19:42:45 GMT

With 40Z–the clean fuel production tax credit for transportation biofuels–set to begin on Jan. 1, Mitchell Hora, CEO of Continuum Ag, says now is the time to get your ducks in a row.

“The corn we’re harvesting now is what’s going to be utilized for this 2025 production,” he says. “We really need to have our data in order and be ready for when these tax credits do come through.”

Hora notes there are still a lot of unknowns with how the credits will work, but believes it has the potential to be a major opportunity farmers won’t want to miss out on.

“There is a significant opportunity for farmers to be compensated for their CI scores in 2024,” he says. “Now, it’s going to be messy. The data is going to be messy. The payments are likely going to be quite conservative because of that. But I still see a lot of indications as to there being some money that can be had here.”

While Hora is optimistic about the opportunities coming, Paul Neiffer, Farm CPA and host of the Top Producer podcast, is a bit more skeptical.

“The concern I have is there’s no guidance,” Neiffer says. “We have the 2024 crop, but if they come out and say the ethanol plant or the biofuel plant had to have a contract in place with the farmer, well, there’s no farmer out there that has a contract.”

Neiffer also believes the program’s success will largely come down to what the requirements end up being.

“If you have to sign up for all these regimented programs, farmers might say forget it,” Neiffer says. “If it’s four bucks a bushel, yeah, I’ll do everything for that, but if I have to do X, Y and Z for 30 or 40 cents, it’s not going to fly.”

If farmers do end up wanting to take advantage of those opportunities, however, data will be critical. According to Hora, Continuum Ag has calculated carbon intensity (CI) scores for over 325 million bushels of grain and found the average score to be 11.1 - which is 18 points lower than the default of 29.1.

“If you’re going to get paid anything, you have to have data. That’s what it boils down to,” Hora says. “If you don’t have data, that load of corn has a default load score of 29.1 until you can prove otherwise.”

He recommends taking the necessary steps now to calculate your CI score now and then implementing practices such as reduced tillage, manure application, etc. to lower it.

“Nobody knows exactly what their score is, because we don’t know exactly what the calculator is going to be. But we have a general idea of what goes into it, so we can start moving the needle,” Hora says.

While in the combine this fall and planning what practices you’ll use for next year, Hora says it’s a good time to consider how your current actions will impact your carbon intensity for next year.

“All we can do is start getting our data organized, start figuring out what the scenarios are going to be, be in position to make some educated decisions when the time is right, and capitalize however the rules do come out,” he says. “In my mind, this is just by far the biggest opportunity in ag.”

Catch up on episodes of the Top Producer podcast here.

Your Next Read: The ABCs of 45Z: Take Time Now to Prepare for Low-Carbon Market Opportunities

A Crop Insurance Provider's Advice For Adding Sustainable Practices

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 15:29:09 GMT

With the adoption of sustainable farming practices on the rise, more producers may be looking at how double or relay cropping fits into their operations. Sheila Backer, assistant vice president of underwriting at Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance, says it’s important to consider what those changes could mean for crop insurance.

“If you take a step back into what the policy looks like without double cropping or relay cropping, it basically says you can only insure and harvest one crop off a piece of ground,” Backer says.

But in an effort to make it easier for farmers to increase production and lower costs food costs, Backer explains the Biden Administration and USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) are working to make changes to this policy .

“RMA came out and said ‘There are quite a few areas where we can get two crops off of a singular piece of ground in that calendar year, so why can’t we make that insurable?’,” Backer says. “As people are starting to realize the importance of this and the impact that it can have, RMA is recognizing that as well and allowing it to be an insurable practice.”

Requirements For Approval
RMA has started offering written agreements for double and relay cropping, which is a way to insure something they haven’t officially made available yet.

“We can submit a written agreement and say ‘This borrower was able to show a history of doing this practice, so we think they should be insurable.’ If it’s approved by RMA, then it allows insurance to be bound,” Backer says.

The requirements for written agreements vary from county to county. For example, growers in a certain area may need provide up to three years of history of using the practice while others may be able to submit a blanket agreement with no history.

USDA RMA Double Crop Soybeans Map 2023

(USDA RMA)

USDA Relay Crop Map

(USDA RMA)

Since 2022, Backer says number of written agreement offers for relay cropping has increased by 15%. She adds if there are enough submitted, RMA may expand the program’s availability.

“I would encourage you, if you’re interested at all in this, to talk to your agent,” Backer says. “RMA uses all the written agreements they get every year to potentially make things insurable on their own.”

New Research: Four Ways to Accelerate Conservation Via Ag Retailers

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 14:01:00 GMT

New research outlines the key obstacles in adopting conservation agriculture practices, and how the path of least resistance forward is via ag retail.

Ag retailers are some of the most trusted of a farmer’s stable of advisors. Syngenta, in partnership with America’s Conservation Ag Movement, recently used Farm Journal data and intelligence to dig into that relationship and how it can be leveraged to carry conservation adoption forward.

Questions Answered
Through behavioral, demographic, psychographic intelligence as well as quantitative research done in the Corn Belt, the partnership uncovered a variety of interesting insights from ag retailers, including what holds them back from bridging the conservation gap with their customers.

The report, available now through Trust In Food , sought to understand the following key questions from the perspectives of ag retailers:

How willing are you to advise farmers on conservation topics?
What factors influence discussions with farmers about soil health and conservation?
Which key barriers or incentives could motivate you to help these conversations advance?

Key Sentiments and Findings

62% of retailers reported they believed that farmers were satisfied with the status quo and would be unwilling to abandon current farming techniques to adopt conservation practices on their farms.
37% believe farmers have a lack of awareness of conservation practices
25% believe conservation is not aligned with farmer goals

What Resonates With Ag Retailers, Resonates With Farmers
To shift the tide, the report found that ag retailers could be the key, based upon their significant level of trust with farmers, but only if the retailer “authentically believed that the practices would help their customers achieve their goals.”

Accomplishing that, according to the report, means companies and organizations in the value chain need to arm the retail sector with the information they need to reach that level of comfort, including:

Providing a steady drumbeat of messaging and material

Conservation is not a one-size-fits-all approach and retailers need support from value chain leaders to keep that conversation going with customers.

Using the correct terminology

Different terms and phrases resonate differently with audiences. The report looked into which terms are preferred by retailers in the Corn Belt, encouraging value chain partners to select carefully the terminology used when providing conservation messaging.

Embedding conservation into existing conversations

Retailers need communications that connect conservation to existing motivators, such as risk mitigation and long-term financial viability for farms.

Helping to build existing relationships

Retailers believe that providing conservation advice can be an added value that helps to strengthen relationships with farmer-customers.

To learn more from the report, visit Trust In Food . To learn more about the public-private partnership that fuels conservation adoption, visit America’s Conservation Ag Movement .

How To Boost Your Sustainability Efforts By Aerially Applicating Cover Crops

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 21:02:52 GMT

Planting cover crops is one of the many ways growers can implement conservation practices on the farm. While the cost may be a deterrent for some, the long-term benefits are vast.

“Quick growing cover crops stabilize soil, protecting it from wind, rain, and snowmelt erosion,” said Andrew D. Moore, chief executive officer of the National Agricultural Aviation Association (NAAA) . “By mitigating erosion and runoff, they ultimately enhance water quality by minimizing sediment in waterways.”

Along with minimizing erosion, the practice also:

Improves soil structure, allowing for increased moisture and aeration
Retains and recycles of soil nutrients
Increases organic matter
Breaks insect and disease cycles
Increases soil carbon sequestration

Additional Benefits Through Aerial Application
One of the common ways to seed cover crops is aerially. According to NAAA, aerial applicators seed 3.8 million acres of cover crops - that translates to 1.9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide sequestered annually. EPA says that’s the equivalent of removing approximately 412,000 cars with carbon-combustion engines from the roads each year.

There’s evidence to suggest using aerial application to plant cover crops provides additional benefits as well. In addition to eliminating soil compaction concerns, the method provides more flexibility in timing.

For example, according to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) , planting cover crops after harvest limits the species that can be used due to cold weather. But with aerial application, pilots can begin seeding prior to harvest without the risk of damaging the existing crop. This also allows the cover crop to achieve a good stand before residue is introduced.

UNL suggests beginning to aerially apply cover crops when soybean leaves start to yellow and drop or when leaves begin to senesce in corn. For non-irrigated crops, it may be more important to time seeding after a late August or early September rain instead of a specific development stage. Peoples Company adds local conditions should take precedence over general timing recommendations.

Selecting A Pilot
If aerial application of cover crops makes sense for your operation, Peoples Company recommends asking prospective pilots three questions to ensure uniformity in your crop:

Do you do dry pattern testing?
Have you handled the species being planted before?
Can you assure the seed will be applied uniformly?

From The Ground-Up: Syngenta Updates ESG Goals To Support Farmers

Mon, 12 Aug 2024 15:36:58 GMT

Syngenta is charting a new path forward for its global environmental goals, starting from the ground-up, both metaphorically and pragmatically for the organization. The path is outlined in the release of new Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance Data (“ ESG”) achievements and sustainability strategy .

Reporting significant gains in their current ESG programs, Syngenta’s 2023 report highlights $244 million USD invested in sustainable agriculture breakthroughs, putting them 78% of the way toward their cumulative $2 billion target by 2025.

Soil Health As A Springboard

Going forward, the company is betting on a new soil health focus to help them reach the milestone goal.

“In the face of climate change, prioritizing soil health is the first line of defense,” says Matt Wallenstein, chief soil scientist at Syngenta Group.

According to Wallenstein, leveraging soil health has benefits that cut across crop sectors and regions.

“On a global scale, we know a warming climate accelerates soil decomposition, and the release of carbon into the atmosphere, and more frequent droughts and floods can cause soil erosion, leading to reduced productivity and land value over time.”

“A principle I often share is that healthy soil with good water infiltration and retention can make the difference between a failed or healthy crop,” he says.

Therefore, he says that farmers who focus on soil health can reap those benefits and avoid the consequences.

Wallenstein believes that soil health is “more important than ever for productivity, profitability, and sustainability” for farmers. To that end, Syngenta is rolling out new partnerships, collaborations, and programs aimed at:

· providing tools to the retail system

· informing their R&D platform

· bringing new opportunities for soil health to farmers for on-the-ground implementation

Pragmatically, Wallenstein says these goals look like equipping the company’s agronomists with cutting-edge practical soil health knowledge so that they can bridge the gap with customers. In turn, that feedback will help inform the company’s future innovation pipeline.

“Using a robust system for feeding those farmer insights directly into our R&D pipeline, we can accelerate the delivery of impactful and novel solutions to those on the front line of production,” says Wallenstein.

Seed and Soil

The soil health focus is permeating through all aspects of Syngenta’s operations, including its seed production, which Wallenstein says has its own target of 85% produced through regenerative practices by 2030.

“We are walking the talk by supporting our contract seed producers in adopting these practices through technical assistance and access to our cutting-edge enabling technology, such as biostimulants, and implementing these practices across our own seed production farms,” he says. “Not only is this transition good for the planet, but it will help us ensure our ability to deliver consistently high-quality seeds to farmers for years to come.”

Data-Driven Decisions

Research projects, such as one with Michigan State University at their W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, are already underway, developing tools that can help growers understand, test, monitor, and measure long-term soil health benefits, bringing data that can help influence conservation adoption and operational management decisions.

“In this project, we are quantifying robust, causal linkages between soil health indicators and agronomic and environmental outcomes,” Wallenstein says. “We are testing soil health indicators across a range of soil types and climatic conditions using long-term trials across the Midwest.”

“In the future, we want to offer farmers data that will help them reach both long-term soil health goals and short-term commercial success.”

Longer-Lens For Potential Return On Investment

While the reporting goals and plans paint an aggressive soil health goal for Syngenta, Wallenstein says soil health adoption is not without challenges. But, he says, the company is committed to partnering with growers to find solutions for those hurdles.

“There is ample scientific evidence that adopting practices like conservation tillage, cover crops, and diverse rotations can lead to potential increased yields, yield stability, and better efficiency in most places, and adoption may lead to a strong potential return on investment for growers and landowners over the long run,” Wallenstein says. “But many technical and financial barriers stand in the way, making it easier said than done.”

“In some situations, there can be a transition period of yield drag before realizing the benefits–a tough pill to swallow,” he adds. “On the research side, we are seeking to unravel the mechanisms that drive this delayed response so that we can develop solutions to avoid it. This research is in close collaboration with leading growers, where we both learn from each other.”

With its march toward a more resilient future, Syngenta is aiming to equip farmers with the tools they need.

“As we develop solutions that will enable farmers to adopt and sustain soil health practices, we’re working closely with them to help achieve the best outcomes by building long-term partnerships, trust, and transparency.”

USDA allocates $1.5B for climate-smart farming

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 16:43:04 GMT

The USDA is accepting proposals through July 2 for projects that will help farmers, ranchers and forest landowners adopt and expand conservation strategies to enhance natural resources while tackling the climate crisis.

The projects could save farmers money, create new revenue streams and increase productivity, according to the USDA, which has set aside $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2024 to invest in partner-driven conservation and climate solutions through its Regional Conservation Partnership Program. The climate investment, made through the farm bill and the Inflation Reduction Act, also allows USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to boost funding for the program, according to a news release.

USDA estimates its investments in climate-smart farming will support more than 180,000 farms and 225 million acres in the next five years.

“We had unprecedented demand for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program last year, showing the robust interest in conservation from farmers and ranchers,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in the release. “We’re looking forward to seeing what the more streamlined and customer-oriented Regional Conservation Partnership Program can do to get more conservation on the ground in the coming months and years.”

The USDA will offer two funding opportunities:

RCPP Classic, using NRCS contracts and easements with producers, landowners and communities in collaboration with project partners.
RCPP Alternative Funding Arrangements, where the lead partner works directly with agricultural producers to support the development of innovative conservation approaches that would not otherwise be available under RCPP Classic.

NRCS says it will set aside $100 million for tribal-led projects to be used between both funding opportunities. RCPP funding priorities include climate-smart agriculture, urban agriculture, conservation and environmental justice.

Project proposals for RCPP are being accepted through the RCPP portal . Details on the RCPP Classic and RCPP AFA funding opportunities are available on Grants.gov .

Water Investment Produces a Healthy Crop Using Precision Agriculture and Zero Waste

Sun, 01 Oct 2023 12:00:00 GMT

By Jenny Holtermann: Wasco, California USA

They say it takes a gallon of water to grow an almond.

The strange thing about this claim is that it’s true—and also that it couldn’t be more wrong.

Why trust me? As a fourth-generation California farmer, I grow almonds for a living. I also love to eat them and promote them on social media as “ Almond Girl Jenny.”

My home state dominates the global almond market. About 80 percent of the world’s almonds come from California. They are the Golden State’s golden crop, worth more than any other agricultural export. About two-thirds ship to customers in other countries, which means that we’re selling American grown almonds to people in the European Union, India, China, and elsewhere. More than 100,000 U.S. jobs depend on almond production.

Almond trees flourish in what is called a “Mediterranean climate”. There are only 5 of these climates in the world and they do best in California’s Central Valley, where the cool and mild winters combine with the dry heat of summer to create the ideal conditions for a nut that is at once a healthy food and a delicious snack . Each one is packed with protein, fiber, vitamin E, and more.

And here’s a fun fact: Almonds are closely related to peaches; inside a sweet, juicy peach is a pit that seems a little like a hard and bitter almond.

Put it all together, and it’s no wonder that almonds have billions of fans among farmers, nutritionists, and consumers.

Yet they also have a few detractors, as we discovered nearly a decade ago when the magazine Mother Jones published an article with a provocative headline: “It Takes How Much Water to Grow an Almond?!”

I have a lot of thoughts about this article and the firestorm of negative attention it generated for almonds and the lasting impression it has left on people across the world, but I’ll start with the headline’s two punctuation marks. By joining a question mark and an explanation point, the article tried to achieve a hybrid vigor in sensationalism. It aimed to shock and outrage its readers—and make them disapprove of almonds and the farmers who grow them.

Yet I’ll admit the truth: It does indeed take roughly a gallon of water to grow a single almond.

This is the wrong way to think about almonds and water use, however.

Everything that grows requires a lot of water. A head of lettuce and an ordinary tomato both take between three and four gallons. A gallon of milk needs about 4.5 gallons.

A lot of things that don’t grow also need water. The average American shower uses more than 17 gallons. A data center that stores everything from the photos on your phone to the information on this web page can require up to 5 million gallons per day, which is the equivalent of what a small city needs.

This is why water scarcity and management are so important for agriculture—and one of the reasons why our almond farm has invested heavily in the technology of precision irrigation. We’ve built a sustainable system that delivers exactly the right amount of water at the right time to the right place, wasting almost nothing. Drip irrigation helps farmers to target our water use efficiently. We also use various soil moisture sensor systems that monitor the water content of the soil.

As a result, we’re doing more with less. We use about one-third less water than we did previously, and our yields are improving.

Each almond still needs about a gallon of water—but that gallon grows more than a single almond.

The almonds that we love to eat are grown in shells that are surrounded by hulls. These are also resources. The woody shells, once crushed, become everything from landscaping material to livestock bedding to plastic composites . The softer hulls go into animal feed used heavily in California by dairies and cattle feed lots.

Even the wood of an almond tree is a resource. A single tree has a productive life of about 30 years. At the end of this cycle, we chip the tree and put its bark into the ground for soil enrichment. Almonds are a true zero-waste crop, with nothing lost and every piece of the almond being utilized.

A final byproduct of almonds is beauty. The flowers are gorgeous. When they bloom in February, they turn our farm into a place of stunning splendor—and allow us to engage in agro-tourism. We open our orchards to families seeking portraits with lovely backgrounds, we host ‘brunch in the bloom’ events on our farm and invite anybody who just wants to enjoy the beauty of nature.

Bloom is also a vital time for bees to migrate to California. Almond production requires bees to move pollen from one tree to the other. Without bees we wouldn’t have almonds to harvest. Our blooming orchards are often the first taste of spring for bees and offer a natural habitat for them to flourish as they come out of their winter dormancy state.

You can’t put a price tag on that.

So yeah, it takes a gallon of water to grow an almond—but in addition to a tasty nut we get an economic boost, multipurpose materials, and a marvel to behold.

That sounds to me like a good way to use a gallon.

Jenny Holtermann is a 4^th generation family farmer, working with her husband’s father, brother and families to grow almonds in California. She is an avid agvocate for agriculture and water management. Jenny is a member of the Global Farmer Network. www.globalfarmernetwork.org

Sound Agriculture launches on-demand-bred tomato

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 18:25:20 GMT

Sound Agriculture has launched the Summer Swell tomato, a new slicing tomato variety grown using on-demand breeding, a non-GMO process that uses epigenetics to develop plant traits 10 times faster than current methods, according to a news release.

The Emeryville, Calif.-based company says that means increased durability and improved flavor, leading to reduced food waste and a better eating experience that ultimately promotes produce consumption.

The Summer Swell tomato will be distributed through New York City-based produce wholesaler distributor S. Katzman Produce and available at grocery stores in the New York metropolitan area beginning April 2023, the release said.

“Our customers are looking for new, innovative products that offer a great tasting experience,” said Stefanie Katzman, executive vice president at S. Katzman Produce. “We were drawn to Summer Swell because of its proprietary platform, which is used to enhance flavor and shelf life — two key factors that contribute to improved consumer experience and increased produce consumption.”

Summer Swell went from an idea to a new tomato within two years, which Sound Agriculture says represents a new pace of innovation in plant breeding.

“With on-demand breeding, consumers have access to great-tasting plant-based options today without having to wait the five to 10 years required by the traditional breeding process,” said Adam Litle, CEO of Sound Agriculture. “By tuning natural trait expression, the Summer Swell tomato gives people access to delicious heirloom tomato flavor any time of year.”

The company describes Summer Swell as a new, more flavorful variety reminiscent of an heirloom tomato, with additional benefits including:

The ability to remain on the vine longer and develop more flavor and sweetness, while still being able to better withstand transportation logistics.
Extended shelf life: Once at a consumer’s home, the typical Summer Swells retains peak flavor and firmness for eight days compared to three days with most heirloom tomatoes.

Sound Agriculture says it is working with more than a dozen companies, including CPGs, ingredient and seed companies, to develop new varieties with improved nutritional content, reduced browning, increased pest resistance, improved texture, enhanced color and more. These improvements address important health and sustainability issues by improving nutrition, increasing access to healthy foods and reducing food waste and chemical use, the release said.

Agmatix partners with NASA Harvest to support the use of sustainable agricultural practices

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 20:11:57 GMT

Tel Aviv, Israel-based agtech company Agmatix is partnering with NASA Harvest to support crop production in a sustainable way at the field level and mitigate the effect of climate change.

Satellite imagery alongside ground measurements will be analyzed using the Agmatix platform to inform sustainable on-farm decisions, according to a news release.

A combination of ground sampling and remote sensing data will be used to support farmers in their transition toward sustainable agriculture, the release said.

NASA Harvest is NASA’s global food security and agriculture consortium, the release said, with a mission to enable and advance adoption of satellite Earth observations by public and private organizations to benefit food security, agriculture and environmental resiliency worldwide, the release said.

NASA Harvest will provide its expertise on agricultural remote sensing and leverage tools developed by the consortium, which will then be combined with field data from Agmatix and processed using a proprietary artificial intelligence algorithm, the release said. The release said that these data-driven insights can help farmers make field-level decisions that impact sustainability most effectively, such as cover crop selection and fertilizer application.

“According to the World Economic Forum, sustainable agriculture practices must triple in order to prevent climate change,” Ron Baruchi, CEO of Agmatix, said in the release. “Currently, adoption is hindered by a lack of consistent and acceptable measurements at scale. Our collaboration will promote resilient agriculture beginning with smallholder farms in India and commercial farms in Brazil, and lead to further expansion worldwide.”

NASA sowing seeds for space salsa

Wed, 11 Jan 2023 19:46:21 GMT

Extolling the benefits of fresh salsa, NASA scientists are working hard to bring Taco Tuesday to space.

Just imagine biting into a crisp tortilla chip with spicy salsa after weeks of nothing but ultraprocessed and freeze-dried meals, packaged in vacuumed sealed plastic pouches. The punchy, fresh flavor of a peppery salsa will wake up tired taste buds and galvanize spirits.

That’s exactly what NASA scientists are hoping to achieve with series of experiments dubbed the “thrive in space” trials. Scientists began growing and testing lettuce, tomatoes and pepper seeds in 2016 with the goal to develop technologies to grow, harvest and eat fresh vegetable favorites in space, supporting astronauts on long-duration space travel missions.

Related news: Future shines bright for organic research: Q&A with OFRF’s Brise Tencer

A recent win for the “thrive in space” trials was the NASA’s Plant Habitat-04 experiment, which successfully grew and harvested hatch chili peppers from seeds, arriving at the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s 22nd commercial resupply services mission in June 2021.

“Growing colorful vegetables in space can have long-term benefits for physical and psychological health,” Matt Romeyn, principal investigator for the PH-04 experiment, said in a news release. “We are discovering that growing plants and vegetables with colors and smells helps to improve astronauts’ well-being.”

Growing hatch chilies for intergalactic salsa

A team with Kennedy Space Center’s Exploration Research and Technology programs planted the seeds in one of the three plant growth chambers nestled in an orbiting laboratory in which astronauts raise crops. The peppers grew for about four months before astronauts harvested the small, but mighty chilies. The chilies were chopped and enjoyed in a zesty, fresh salsa on tacos. It is the first time NASA astronauts have cultivated a crop of chili peppers on the space station from seeds to maturity, according to the release.

“The challenge is the ability to feed crews in low-Earth orbit, and then to sustain explorers during future missions beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations including the moon, as part of the Artemis program, and eventually to Mars,” Romeyn said in the release. “We are limited to crops that don’t need storage, or extensive processing.”

What’s more, crew members in space can lose some sense of taste and smell as a temporary side effect of living in microgravity, and they may prefer spicy foods or seasoned foods. Peppers are high in vitamin C and other nutrients, making peppers an excellent candidate for testing on the space station, Romeyn said.

Fresh vegetables for future missions

One outcome of the “thrive in space” experiments is the ability to cultivate edible plants may help support future Artemis missions at NASA. Together with commercial and international partners, the Artemis missions will establish a sustainable presence on the moon to prepare for future missions to Mars. According to NASA, the “thrive in space” experiments are building a knowledge base for scientists to understand how to cultivate plants beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

“The biggest challenge is the room you need to grow these edibles. Just to give you a general number, it would take about 50 square meters of soil to provide enough food for one person,” Howard Levine, space biology scientist with NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences Division, said in a news release.

“So, as we transport our crew members to Mars, the plants we grow will provide them with a token amount of their nutritional needs,” Levine added. “That said, there’s an often overlooked or minimized aspect to growing plants in space and that’s the psychological benefit to our crew members; they’ve often told us when they’re able to take care of the plants on board the space station, they really appreciate it as gives them a remembrance of what it’s like on Earth.”

Another added benefit to growing plants in space, according to Levine, is that they also suck up carbon dioxide, produce oxygen and purify any water that passes through them.

Walmart launches four pollinator habitat guides for farmers, ranchers

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:26:31 GMT

In support of National Pollinator Week 2022, June 20-26, Walmart introduced four new regionally specific guides to help its agricultural suppliers to protect and promote pollinators. Titled — Supporting Pollinators in Agricultural Landscapes, a Technical Guide for Farmers and Ranchers — the guides cover California, the Northeast, Pacific Northwest and Southeast.

Developed in collaboration with the Pollinator Partnership, the guides have “incorporated insights from farmers, ranchers, beekeepers, crop consultants, researchers and government authorities to make them robust and actionable,” Walmart said in an email to The Packer.

The Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer’s website details its commitment to promoting pollinator health, including promoting integrated pest management, expanding pollinator habitats, labeling pollinator-friendly plants in its stores, and educating its employees about protecting bees that take up residence at its stores.

At Walmart stores around the country, where bees have made their homes, the company guides its associates to flag the colony, and whenever possible, work with an accredited wildlife vendor to humanely remove and relocate the bees, according to Walmart’s corporate website.

“Every time we work to humanely relocate bees, we become part of a cycle that helps ensure they can have a life outside our stores and return to being productive pollinators. If you’ve ever enjoyed an almond, an apple, a cup of coffee or a cranberry, you probably understand why,” TJ Stallbaumer of Walmart Corporate Affairs, said in an article on the company’s corporate website.

Its employee and consumer education also includes helping people understand why pollinators are worth protecting. Walmart communicates compelling statistics on the importance of the honeybee such as:

One in four bee species are at risk of extinction.
The total agricultural productivity from honeybees is between $1.2-$5.4 billion.
Pollinators help fertilize more than 1,200 crops, including 87 of the 115 crops people eat most regularly.

Its website also features a regional snapshot of the economic contributions of the honeybee from California almonds to Texas watermelons to Florida cucumbers.

“When we protect a bee colony, we’re helping stock our stores — and farms, lawns and gardens around the country — with the things that matter to you,” Stallbaumer continued. “From your favorite fruits to the flowers you pick up on the way home, we’re working to spark change for one of nature’s essential architects.”

Related content: Walmart isn’t the only grocery retailer working to promote and protect honeybees. The Giant Co. of Carlisle, Pa., recently welcomed 30,000 honeybees to its corporate headquarters with plans to expand the population to 450,000 by next year.

One Nebraska Farmer Says Improving Soil Health Helped Keep Her on the Land

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 22:12:19 GMT

In a moisture deficit area, such as southwest Nebraska, conservation and regenerative practices have long been a staple for farmers. These methods boost soil health and help make their farms more productive and economically stable. That’s important especially in drought years such as 2022.

“Conservation is farming in southwest Nebraska.” That mindset is a necessity for Tracy Zink. Moisture is typically scarce where she farms near Indianola, Neb., so it’s essential she preserve every drop. She accomplishes that by disturbing the soil as little as possible, even for weed control.

“For the most part all of our dryland we try very hard to be no-till. If weeds get away from us or they’re resistant we try to only do the spot where the resistance is,” she says.

No-till practices have improved organic matter and soil health, which keeps even heavy rains from running off and eroding the soil. Plus they leave as much crop residue intact after harvest as possible.

“We try to always have residue on top to help protect soil from blowing,” Zink explains. “When I think about soil quality it’s also that it stays put.”

Crop rotation is also important. On irrigated acres that includes two seasons of corn followed by soybeans. Zink says the dryland rotations are more diverse but depend on moisture levels. We always do wheat, hard red winter wheat is our base for the next crop. Following that, half the acres go to milo and half of our wheat acres go to corn. Then the following year they become corn or milo. The year following is typically summer fallow.

Zink does annual soil testing to set a baseline for fertility, and with the arid environment, she says she has to strike a balance between yield and conservation.

“I don’t look for home runs in yield because I don’t have the water for it. I already have to have that conservation mindset for my yield goals,” she says.

Every practice Zink incorporates on her farm must fit into her holistic approach to conservation because she wants to continue the work her grandparents started. “As you look out and around, none of this would be possible if we weren’t incredibly mindful about proper stewardship, soil conservation and managing wind and water erosion.”

By improving soil health she knows her farm will be sustainable for years to come.

Set the Stage for Soil Health with These Best Practices

Mon, 24 Oct 2022 18:38:48 GMT

Apply best management practices for long-term success

If you are adding a new farm for next season, take a hard look at soil health amid the backdrop of higher fertility and input costs. Missy Bauer, Farm Journal Field Agronomist, says start with the canvas rather than the paint, as focusing on the soil setup can pay big dividends toward long-term success. She suggests these strategies.

1. SOIL SAMPLE BY ZONE

“When we think about flipping the soil or trying to get it in good shape, the first thing we always look at is soil fertility,” Bauer explains. “That starts with making sure soil samples are taken at the right depth and pulled by management zones or soil types.”
Always ask what soil sample depth your soil lab is calibrated to, as that can vary by lab.

2. EVALUATE AND REDUCE PH

“Once we get data from the lab we must check and manage pH because we cannot do well agronomically if we have acidic soils for raising corn and soybeans,” Bauer says. “In much of the Midwest, we need to add lime to stay in that range of 6.5 to 6.8 pH.”

3. REMOVE COMPACTION LAYERS

“A lot of fields that struggle have soil density issues or layers that impede root growth and water infiltration,” Bauer says.
For example, she says corn roots should grow down through the soil at a 35-to-40-degree angle. A simple root dig can shed light on whether those roots are being impacted by changes in density.

“In the spring, some fields will just stay saturated longer after a rain,” Bauer explains. “What happens is that water hits those density layers, and it can’t push through until it builds up enough head pressure.”

4. FIX IT, DON’T FORGET IT

While your plan might be no-till or reduced tillage, a rescue pass might be needed to fix soil density.

“Even some of our best no-tillers own vertical tillage equipment because they might have to go in and fix a field,” Bauer says. “Deep shanks with uniform spacing and shatter across the machine can take out those layers. A vertical tillage leveling tool can level it out before converting the field back to no-till.”

5. RESPECT WORKING CONDITIONS

Always aim to avoid putting stress on soil, Bauer adds. This often means respecting field conditions and the weather forecast.

“If we have a wet fall, consider the size of loads you are pulling across fields with your grain cart,” she says. “If we get a wet spring and we make those ‘dry out’ tillage passes, then we tend to have more soil compaction problems.”

6. DON’T COVER MISTAKES

When rehabilitating a field, Bauer advises to focus on the big issues first — soil pH, fertility and uniform soil density. “Then we can consider adding cover crops into the program to help improve soil aggregate stability,” she says.

Financial Support for Soil Health

USDA is investing up to $2.8 billion in 70 projects under the first Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities funding pool. The projects, which seek funds ranging from $5 million to $100 million, include everything from flood control to building carbon markets.
According to Tom Vilsack, USDA secretary, these efforts will “increase the competitive advantage of U.S. agriculture both domestically and internationally.”

USDA says farmers can expect:

Technical and financial assistance to implement voluntary climate-smart practices.
Methods to quantify, monitor, report and verify greenhouse gas benefits.
New markets and promotion in climate-smart commodities.

After sifting through 450 proposals, USDA’s funding recipients include groups such as government entities, farmer co-ops, university and conservation groups. Trust In Food, Farm Journal‘s sustainability division, is one of the recipients.

Clinton Griffiths is a TV newsman, turned magazine editor, with a passion for good stories. He believes the best life lessons can be found down a dirt road.

Farm Journal to host free webinar on carbon markets

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 20:43:23 GMT

Lenexa, Kan. , (April 12, 2021) — What do farmers, ranchers and stakeholders across the food and agriculture value chain need to know about the emerging world of carbon markets? Farm Journal’s next Farm Country Update , “The Three Biggest Trends in Carbon Markets,” will feature a panel of experts to discuss how carbon markets are changing what farmers and ranchers are doing at the grassroots level. The online event is set for Thursday, April 15, 2021, at 3 p.m. CDT.

Panelists include:

Robert Bonnie, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Senior Advisor, Climate, for USDA
Kelley Delpit, Oregon Rancher and Conservation Manager for Sustainable Northwest
Mitchell Hora, Iowa Row Crop Farmer and Co-Host of the Field Work Podcast from American Public Media
Kris Johnson, Interim Director of Agriculture, North America for The Nature Conservancy
Amy Skoczlas Cole, Executive Vice President of Trust In Food, Moderator

The one-hour session will include exclusive results from Farm Journal’s Pulse Poll conducted earlier this spring where farmers and ranchers were asked to share their views on carbon markets. Other discussion topics will include practical information highlighting what producers need to know as they’re evaluating their options in this rapidly changing business environment.

“Our research shows that the top thing farmers need when it comes to carbon markets is trustworthy information,” said Amy Skoczlas Cole, executive vice president, Trust In Food, a Farm Journal initiative. “This webinar will feature insights from farmers and ranchers actually doing the work of navigating the carbon market ecosystem and perspectives of leaders from government agencies and conservation non-profits positioned to help producers optimize their impact as environmental solutions providers while recognizing economic benefits in the process.”

Register now for this free online event at https://preferences.farmjournal.com/041521-FarmCountryUpdate_RegistrationPage.html . All registered attendees will receive on-demand access to the session when available.

About Farm Journal

Farm Journal is the nation’s leading business information and media company serving the agricultural market. Started 145 years ago with the preeminent Farm Journal magazine, the company serves the row crop, livestock, produce and retail sectors through branded websites, eNewsletters and phone apps; business magazines; live events including conferences, seminars and tradeshows; nationally broadcasted television and radio programs; a robust mobile-text-marketing business and an array of data-driven, paid information products. Farm Journal also is the majority shareholder of the online equipment marketplace, Machinery Pete LLC. In 2010, the company established the non-profit, public charity, Farm Journal Foundation, dedicated to sustaining agriculture’s ability to meet the vital needs of a growing population through education and empowerment.

Climate-smart ag initiatives: Commodity markets for a sustainable future

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 20:41:45 GMT

USDA unleashed a flurry of activity this year with the announcement of the $1-billion Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Program, which aims to accelerate sustainable agriculture practices through producer incentives and premium markets for food that is produced sustainably.

Click here to watch the full 2022 Sustainable Produce Summit On-Demand.

Driven in part from downstream demand from consumers, retailers and food companies, production systems must be able to measure and monitor on-farm activity to create transparency and authenticity behind climate claims. Input companies and technology providers play a role in supporting producers for practice change and also helping CPGs and retailers understand production systems to reinforce and validate their consumer marketing.

How will the government’s $1-billion infusion influence how growers operate and drive premium markets for sustainable produce? That was the focus of The Packer’s panel discussion “Climate-Smart Ag Initiatives: Commodity Markets for a Sustainable Future” at the Sustainable Produce Summit on June 2.

Read related: Produce industry experts tackle zero food waste at SPS

“There’s no question that $1 billion in research funding is going to have impact,” says Tom Stenzel, principal with consultancy The Stenzel Group. “In the specialty crop industry, our land base is small compared to the row crops, so the majority of that funding is going to go to those areas. I think we have to know that. But we’re adamant that we want the fruit and vegetable sector to also get some of those government funds to do research in our space.”

One of the challenges that specialty crop producers face is setting standards for diverse growing operations in varied geographies and growing environments.

“We’re not a monolithic industry,” Stenzel says. “Soybean growers across the country can benefit from almost everything done for soybeans. For us, strawberries are different from citrus are different from bananas. And that makes it very hard in the fruit and vegetable sector to develop standards across the entire industry. So, I think what you’re going to see play out is each individual commodity group having to define for itself what are the best practices? What are the measurement criteria, and then how do you communicate that forward?”

Communicating those standards is crucial for food companies and retailers to earn the trust of consumers. In many ways, specialty crop producers have been on a journey toward regenerative agriculture for years, and there is an opportunity to help consumers better understand how production systems have evolved through criteria that can be measured and validated.

Input companies and other suppliers to growers can help construct messages around growing practices to create more transparency for consumers, says Rob Gibson, global portfolio manager for Certis Biologicals. He says biological controls, for example, once were relegated to small farms that were predominantly focused on organic production, but today about 90% of the company’s products are applied on conventional acres as part of an IPM program, and larger farms are investing in regenerative practices.

“About a month or so ago, I witnessed a 1,500-acre regenerative ag farm, and the guy was really into bios and how they worked, and when you looked at the farm and how clean it was and all the sustainable practices he was using, I immediately thought this can work [at scale],” Gibson says. “These commodity markets are driving the need for biologicals and other sustainable or climate-smart products because consumers are asking for it. This next-gen group of farmers are looking to know: How does their purchase of a product impact the environment? And then, how does regenerative ag play into the benefits [with consumers] that they’re looking for when their product goes to the grocery store and other shops? We continue to work in those integrated pest management programs and get into the spray tank mixes with these other chemistries and help reduce the amount of synthetic chemicals going into U.S. soil.”

Companies that are close to producers are in a good position to generate fact sheets on growing practices to help quantify sustainability metrics and messages to which consumers can relate. In the case of biological products, fewer “pounds on the ground” of hard chemistries, safer products for workers, and tank mixes that reduce sprayer passes all have quantifiable benefits that resonate with consumers.

“One way that we help communicate down the chain is through offering certifications,” Gibson says, adding that certifications and fact sheets on product benefits can help growers be confident in their use and confident in the climate claims they are making with their produce.

Third parties might be best suited to help growers to manage the data needed to verify climate claims. While a host of data is being collected at the farm level, synthesizing it into actionable claims might require purpose-built infrastructure that is objective and trusted.

“I think we’re at the infancy stage [for data reporting and verification],” Stenzel says. “For an individual grower to be able to measure even their own capacity, that’s the first step. Then you’d go to the next level of how do you aggregate that across a commodity? Who trusts who in our industry to share sensitive data? That’s going to be a big challenge. There will probably have to be a third-party data management system that ultimately aggregates data and then shares with customers that are authorized to view the data. We have some models in the food-safety space with third parties aggregating and sharing data. I think there will need to be a middleman between the grower and the end buyer to help aggregate the data in a way that’s then useful to all parties.”

Read related: These are the winners of Sustainable Produce Summit Marketing Awards

Carbon Markets: A Low-Hanging Fruit or The Next Cash Crop?

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 20:41:24 GMT

Most voluntary carbon markets introduced to farmers so far have made their first tranche of payments.

Meanwhile, a handful of companies have used carbon markets to spin off new efforts for market opportunities with traceability, sustainability and the broader definition of regenerative agriculture (for example, Truterra’s approach and Bayer’s ForGround).

A low-hanging fruit or the next cash crop?

So, what does the future hold for carbon markets? Currently the industry is based on credits being tradable assets, so it is not yet a fully developed market, points out Alejandro Plastina, Iowa State University Extension economist.

Looking into the crystal ball and applying economics, he sees four possible scenarios (see chart).

“The second scenario is most likely where we are heading,” Plastina says. “We want to get to the first scenario, but with the current status quo, we are moving toward the low-hanging fruit.”

As such, to foster a strong agriculture carbon market, he says these “science gaps” need to be addressed:

Uncertainty in the projected volume of carbon credits that can be produced by a farmer depending on weather, timeliness of practice, etc.
Measuring the volume of carbon removed or avoided by a farmer is difficult and costly, particularly at large scale, which is why the current method is just sampling.
Carbon programs use different models, so it’s impossible to compare across programs the potential for carbon credit generation stemming from one change in practice on one farm.

How quickly can this market evolve? “A functioning market can be achieved in three to five years, if demand continues to be strong, and there’s more agreements on how to standardize the tools soon,” Plastina says.

Regenerative Ag: The No. 1 Food Trend of 2020

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 21:53:16 GMT

Building trust in food begins with empowering farmers through one of the largest and most diverse conservation- and sustainability-focused public-private partnerships in our nation’s history: America’s Conservation Ag Movement. To find the latest news and resources related to the Movement, visit AgWeb.com/ACAM .

More global produce marketers and retailers are taking measures to become regenerative companies.

In a post on the chain’s website, Whole Foods called regenerative agriculture the number one food trend of 2020.

Read the article here.

“Farmers, producers, academics, government agencies, retailers and more are taking a closer look at how to use land and animal management practices to improve soil health and sequester carbon,” the Whole Foods said in the post. “While the term “regenerative agriculture” can have many definitions, in general it describes farming and grazing practices that restore degraded soil, improve biodiversity and increase carbon capture to create long-lasting environmental benefits, such as positively impacting climate change. You can help by seeking out brands that support regenerative practices.”

Dole Food Com. has a goal to achieve net zero carbon emissions at the farm-level from Dole-managed operations by 2030, and to reduce emissions from shipping by 30% by 2030 compared with 2015 levels.

British retailer Asda has committed to generating zero carbon emissions by 2040, reducing waste by 50% and having a net regenerative impact on nature no later than 2050, according to the company.

General Mills has a commitment to advance regenerative agriculture practices on one million acres of farmland by 2030.

In September, Walmart president and CEO Doug McMillon said the company and the Walmart Foundation is committing to help protect, manage or restore at least 50 million acres of land and one million square miles of ocean by 2030.

Walmart has increased its commitment to sustainability over the past 15 years and that track record continues to grow, according to Anabella de Freeman, the company’s senior manager for sustainable produce.

De Freeman spoke about Walmart’s recent commitment to being a regenerative company and other sustainability initiatives at The Packer’s West Coast Produce Expo.

Being a regenerative company means “de-carbonizing” operations and eliminating waste along the supply chain, she said.

“It means encouraging the adoption of regenerative practices in agriculture, forest management and fisheries, while advancing prosperity and equity for customers, associates and people across our supply chains,” she said. “Working with our suppliers and customers, NGOs and others, we hope to play a part in transforming the world’s supply chains to be more regenerative.”

The produce industry can adopt regenerative practices by shifting to more renewable energy sources to power facilities, adopting regenerative agriculture practices, diverting waste from landfills and using more sustainable packaging, she said.

Examples of sustainable packaging, she said, include eliminating plastic when it is not needed, making packaging recyclable and manufacturing packaging with recycled content.

Setting ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reporting that progress is another way produce suppliers can show their commitment, she said, along with cutting food waste.

Reducing greenhouse gases is critical, but De Freeman also said that sustainable packaging measures and taking care of people also are very important.

“We are strong supporters of the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices, and a lot of our suppliers are starting to publicly endorse the charter,” she said. “Working towards responsible labor practices is a very important part of sustainability as well.”

De Freeman said much work remains to be done, but the goal is worth it.

“In the journey from now on until 2040, there’s a lot to do and I think we are really going to be making changes, not just for (this generation), but for generations to come.”

Alison Edwards, director of Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops, said that regenerative agriculture is, on one level, a renaming of sustainability. Many growers have been working towards the health of their farms for years, she said.

At another level, “regenerative” goes beyond sustainability in the sense it seeks to build on the health of the environment and land.

In the end, all sectors of the supply chain need to measure their progress, Edwards said.

Growers need some measurements in order to understand if they’re actually making strides, and that data needs to be shown as a way to back up any claims, she said.

Read the full ACAM - Sustainability and specialty crops publication here.

Research highlights sustainability in ag retail and inputs industry

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:24:50 GMT

New research from Farm Journal’s Trust In Food initiative, in partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund, looks at the growing importance of sustainability and conservation-focused products and services for the ag retail business.

Ag retailers sell growers inputs needed to produce their crops.

“Agricultural retailers have tremendous influence over food production in the U.S. and beyond, given their role in informing farmers’ purchasing decisions and providing agronomic advice,” Theresa Eberhardt, project manager at Environmental Defense Fund and expert reviewer of the report, said in a news release. “This also means ag retailers have an unprecedented opportunity to become unexpected conservation heroes, and to accelerate sustainable food production. Our new report offers a roadmap for how to get there.”

The report, called “ Growing for the future: Business lessons from ag retail’s conservation leaders ,” gives insights from interviews with nine sustainability leaders in the ag retail sector, according to the release, in addition to feedback from a national survey of more than 70 ag retail professionals.

The release said the report:

Reveals how ag retail companies are integrating products and services related to conservation agriculture and the sustainability of agriculture into their business portfolios;
Looks at the positive “ripple effect” that integration of conservation can have on an ag retail organization’s business, customers and the environment; and
Identifies steps that can help the ag retail sector scale adoption of sustainability-related products and services.

Related links

Conservation Agriculture Gains National Momentum

Trust in Food website

Retailers Pivotal To Farmer Adoption Of Conservation Ag, Says Research

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:28:02 GMT

Kinsie Rayburn is a Conservation Knowledge Officer with Farm Journal’s Trust In Food. Learn more at www.trustinfood.com

“I would say that precision ag has gotten more precise. So we’re selling products now by the ounce that we used to sell by the gallon, and we’re applying them in very small doses.” –Anne Cook, The Andersons Inc.

U.S. farm productivity increased by 178% between 1948 and 2015, according to a 2018 USDA report, while total land used for agricultural production fell 24%. Modern agricultural systems development such as mechanization, biotechnology, and crop nutrient management solutions played a large role in the productivity boon USDA identified. However, along with the growth in productivity has come other challenges—water quality issues, declines in pollinator habitat, and soil erosion, to name a few.

Key to mitigating risk and firmly ingraining agricultural resilience into farm operations across the nation is the increased adoption rates of conservation agricultural practices, which research has shown can improve environmental outcomes associated with agricultural production. To scale such practices on farms, growers need increased access to informed professionals, such as ag retailers, who can provide the education, training and technical support services required.

Research conducted in 2019 by Trust In Food, a Farm Journal initiative, in partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), found that ag retailers are uniquely suited to play an influential role in the continuous improvement of conservation across the agricultural value chain.

According to the research, ag retailers:

• Have the tools and training to help farmers make data-informed production decisions. “We can say to a grower, ‘The green on this yield map is where it only cost you $1.90 to produce a bushel of corn, but the red is where it’s costing you $5.50.’ That’s how we turn data into actual results and possibilities for the grower.” –Ashley Schmeling, Central Farm Service

• Can help farmers meet the needs of future agricultural markets. “That’s the big point going forward: We’re going to have to have traceability of crops that goes back to sustainable practices, or food suppliers are not going to buy them.” –Tim Mundorf, Central Valley Ag

• Can help educate critical stakeholder groups, such as lenders and financial institutions. “We actually encourage our customers to bring their loan providers to some of our tours out on the research farm during the summer, and we have winter meetings where we really recap a lot of that data. We encourage the customers to bring their lenders to those events.” –Cat Salois, The McGregor Company

• Can help farmers get ahead of new or potential regulations. “If we in ag, the farmer and the ag retailer, don’t start taking the environment [issues] seriously, there will be new regulations sent our way quickly [Sustainability] is the difference between whether farmers are going to be allowed to manage and farm their farms the way they want to, versus a state or federal office placing a bunch of mandates on them.” –Ben Hushon, The Mill

The full report presents a clear business case for ag retailers, exploring how they can dramatically transform their businesses to meet the needs of their grower-customers, the broader agri-food value chain, their local communities and the natural resources the world depends upon.

The time for proactively seeking out ways to improve the reputation and impact of the agricultural sector is now, and the full report showcases how some leading ag retailers are getting the job done.

Advancing Soil Health Through the Power of Partnerships

America’s Conservation Ag Movement Names Board and Releases Special Annual Reports

Stewardship Champion: NRCS Chief Matt Lohr