Trust in Food

Q&A: Regenerative Ag Trends With Dirt To Dinner’s Lucy Stitzer

Thu, 04 Mar 2021 00:21:03 GMT

This article was written by Nate Birt, Vice President of Trust In Food, a Farm Journal initiative. Learn more at www.trustinfood.com

Regenerative agriculture is quickly moving from small and fringe to mainstream, says Lucy Stitzer, founder of the food and agriculture news website Dirt to Dinner.

“It’s pretty exciting. Walmart, for instance—they’ve committed to having zero emissions by 2040,” Stitzer tells Nate Birt, vice president of Trust In Food, a Farm Journal initiative supporting farmers on their journey of conservation agriculture adoption. “That’s a pretty audacious goal. As a result of that, they’re restoring 50 million acres of land.”

Other examples of the regenerative agriculture trend include Danone, which is helping dairy farmers in its supply chain make the shift and lock in margins. That’s encouraging, Stitzer shares, because the economic impact of practice adoption on farmers and ranchers is often overlooked.

Meanwhile, Land O’Lakes has partnered with Microsoft to improve farmers’ access to broadband in rural communities, ensuring they can better utilize precision agriculture tools and capture data from the field.

The participation of both public agencies and the private sector in supporting farmers’ stewardship efforts suggests food can be a unifying factor in an often polarized operating environment. Agriculture – especially big ag - is being thrown under the bus as degrading the environment when the reality is that farmers are generally more environmentally conscious than most of us.

“Companies, the government and the entire ecosystem recognize there’s not just one answer to growing our food,” Stitzer says. “At Dirt to Dinner, we know that people and consumers and us as well are tired of polarization. Our country is so divided, there’s a tendency for everyone to take sides. … Bringing food to your dinner table doesn’t have to have the same divide. I am idealistic enough to think that … we can use food to bring people together.”

To learn more about Dirt To Dinner and to subscribe to its emails, visit www.DirtToDinner.com.

Research points to value of grower input on water issues

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 18:09:05 GMT

U.S. growers can play an important role in providing solutions to critical water issues, according to a new report from Farm Journal’s Trust In Food initiative.

The report, “U.S. Farmer Perspectives on Water,” documents insights from a national survey of more than 900 farmers, representing nearly every state and major farming region. The 45-page report can be downloaded online .

“Farmers are linked to water in deeper ways than most individuals and businesses because their livelihoods and family legacies revolve around daily interactions with water,” said Mitch Rouda, president of Farm Journal’s Trust In Food. “Through their critical position in the environment, their high levels of motivation and excellent hydrologic knowledge, farmers can play a critical role as a solution to water issues. This report provides water communicators with a set of steps to more effectively and efficiently engage with farmers around water issues and activate them as solutions providers.”

Trust In Food collaborated on the report with The Water Main, an American Public Media initiative, which administered a similar survey with members of the public. That report is available at thewatermain.org/.

The farmer-facing and consumer-facing studies provide a deeper understanding of the shared values farmers and the public hold for water, as well as opportunities for closer collaboration across the agri-food value chain to conserve important natural resources.

Highlights from the research include:

About nine out of 10 farmers say they act daily to protect and conserve water resources;
Approximately eight out of 10 farmers only support political candidates who have a stance on water conservation and protection; and
Farmers tend to have very high awareness and understanding of the water cycle and other ecosystem processes related to water.

Researchers found farmers might not fully recognize agriculture’s role in water quality issues but are keenly aware of the increasing weather variability facing the U.S. and subsequent effects on water availability. The report builds a case for improved communication with farmers around water issues, based on their unique views and personal experiences.

The Packer Sustainbility Coverage

The Packer and Trust In Food Launch Sustainable Produce Summit

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:42:47 GMT

Sustainable business practices within the fresh produce industry will be the focus of The Packer’s Sustainable Produce Summit.

The virtual event, Sept. 22-24, is presented by The Packer and Farm Journal’s Trust In Food , in partnership with Apeel Sciences . Registration and agenda information is at www.sustainableproducesummit.com .

The program offers exclusive content centered on daily themes of environmental practices, social sustainability and consumer insights.
“We believe that true sustainability can only be reached as a community — it takes all of us,” said Matt Morgan, executive vice president of produce for Farm Journal. “To advance that goal, we’re excited to deliver this new virtual event, which will bring together top thought leaders and change-makers in this space, while also meeting the demands of companies and customers, throughout the supply chain, who are asking for more guidance and collaboration around sustainable business practices.”

The schedule features speakers, interactive breakout sessions and sustainability case studies.

The event will provide educational opportunities for attendees and exhibitors with online networking features available throughout the event.

A highlight will be the presentation of data and analysis from a recent study commissioned by The Packer and Trust In Food that polled growers, retailers and consumers about their perspectives and practices related to sustainability.

“In partnership with leaders across the supply chain, we are realizing the environmental, social and business benefits of applying nature’s solutions to solve food waste,” said Jason De Turris, vice president of brand marketing at Apeel. “We’re excited to partner with The Packer and Trust In Food to educate the growing community of sustainability innovators. The more we understand about how we use natural resources, the more power we will have in making the right decisions for our food system and beyond.”

The Packer’s Sustainability Coverage

The Packer’s Sustainable Produce Summit

Apeel poised for growth

Trust In Food Symposium to discuss solutions, highlight trends

Mon, 22 Feb 2021 22:59:41 GMT

A pandemic that shuttered businesses and changed food production, purchases and delivery like never before. Nationwide strife over racial inequity and injustice. A record number of climate-related disasters. Contentious elections.

“Now is a moment unlike any in recent memory,” Amy Skoczlas Cole, executive vice president of Trust In Food, said in a news release.

“Against this backdrop, our country’s food system — from producers to consumers — are rapidly evolving. How are U.S. farmers and ranchers responding, and what’s ahead for agriculture? Out of the disruption of 2020, can a new system emerge that helps farmers move toward more regenerative practices and add revenue streams from carbon markets and other ecosystem services?”

Lenexa, Kan.-based Trust In Food, a Farm Journal initiative, is hosting its annual Trust In Food Symposium: Regenerative Reset to answer those questions and more during the midday hours this week, Feb. 23-25.

“We look forward to engaging a broad cohort of leaders in farming, agribusiness, environmental stewardship, agencies and food manufacturers and retail in the conversation,” Skoczlas Cole said.

Attendees will learn from one another and position their businesses to improve environmental stewardship, unlock economic opportunities and advance innovation.

A record-setting audience of leaders from across the food value chain, the conservation community and public agencies are registered for the event.

The program emphasizes key industry priorities, including carbon and climate change, sustainability in animal agriculture and regenerative farming through innovation.

Keynote speakers will include iconic thought leaders, such as:

Jonathan Foley of Project Drawdown;
Temple Grandin of Colorado State University;
Frank Mitloehner of the University of California-Davis; and
Rachel Stroer and Tim Crews of The Land Institute.

Trust In Food is a purpose-driven division of Farm Journal dedicated to mainstreaming and accelerating the transition to more sustainable and regenerative ag practices, making every dollar invested in conservation agriculture more impactful. Visit www.trustinfood.com to learn more.

Farm Journal, a business information and media company serving the agricultural market, is The Packer’s parent company.

To register for the Trust In Food Symposium, go to www.trustinfood.com/symposium .

Retailers Pivotal To Farmer Adoption Of Conservation Ag, Says Research

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:28:02 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 .

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.

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

Stewardship Champion: NRCS Chief Matt Lohr

Is Specialty Produce Headed For The Mid-Mississippi Delta?

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:27:41 GMT

By Julia Kurnik, Director of Innovation Startups, WWF Markets Institute

California produces more than one-third of the vegetables and two-thirds of fruits and nuts that are grown in the United States today. However, as the global climate changes, California will likely suffer from more chronic weather (e.g. increased droughts) as well as severe weather (e.g. heavy rains, flooding, fires and freezes) in the years to come, making farming there less certain and putting U.S. food security at risk. Some farming is likely to shift, and at WWF’s Markets Institute we are exploring whether fruit and vegetable production can be boosted in the mid-Mississippi Delta to take pressure off California in a win-win-win for the environment, food security and local communities.

In the first phase of our strategic analysis, we explored the potential from an ecological, social, and financial lens to boost farming of specialty produce in the mid-Mississippi Delta River region (eastern Arkansas, western Tennessee, southeast Missouri, and northwest Mississippi) and the Arkansas River Valley. It’s a region with fertile soils and a long history of farming, but it also has a very different climate than California’s Central Valley. Water is plentiful, but it’s humid whereas California is quite dry.

There are many opportunities in the region. With its history of farming, strategic location, low-cost land and labor, fertile soils and abundant rain, the mid-Delta region offers many benefits that might support specialty farming on a larger scale. The diversity of the region, from the flat plains of the Mississippi Delta to the mountains and hills of the Arkansas River Valley, brings the opportunity to target different crops in different areas, allowing for growth of a wider variety of produce. Meanwhile, there are many strong local partners who are eager to work together to have a bigger impact. There are also opportunities for the region to develop a competitive advantage. Testing seeds and investing in public breeding programs could lead to heirloom and regionally specific varieties, which are increasingly in demand. Growing these higher value crops could also bring a significant economic boost to growers and their communities in an economically depressed region.

However, there are significant hurdles. First, while it is an area with a long history of farming, there is very little specialty produce grown in the region. It is dominated by commodity row crops, such as rice, soy, wheat, corn and cotton. The farmers here are innovative and, with the right safeguards, willing to tackle this new challenge, but they would still need significant technical support since this would be such a large change in production practices.

Infrastructure investments would also need to be made to grow, harvest, store, and transport these more delicate and perishable crops, as the current infrastructure is geared towards commodity row crops. While some of this could be done at a farm level, much of it would be too expensive for an individual farmer and would need to be organized as co-ops, communities, or even regions to attract the interest and support of major corporations.

Finally, there would need to be a different approach to labor. Specialty crops require more hand-picking labor, whereas the region’s producers currently use machines to harvest their row crops. The labor shift would be expensive, time-consuming and a behavior change. It also likely means further education about and interaction with the H-2A migrant labor program.

In our next phase, we aim to answer key additional questions, elicit further stakeholder buy-in with firm commitments, and design a specialty produce pilot program in the region.

We believe that this region holds a lot of potential to grow specialty produce in commercial quantities to ease some of the pressure on California, benefit farmers and local communities, and protect the environment without risking our food security. We envision the possibility of a more distributed food system where producers grow what is best suited to local climates, closer to consumers with less waste, and economically depressed areas can benefit from higher-value crops. Our goal is that this new model could serve as an example for other regions around the country – so that the mid-Mississippi Delta is just one of many “next Californias.”

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