Growing Returns

Selected tag(s): fertilizer efficiency

What Michael Pollan gets wrong about Big Ag

By David Festa / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: October 12, 2016

Journalist Michael Pollan deserves credit for elevating the national conversation about food. Over the course of 25 years, his articles and books have thoughtfully contemplated the troubling side effects of the American diet and the way our food is produced.

But his latest piece in the New York Times Magazine reads like a script for a black and white Western, with food companies, agribusiness and commodity producers cast in the role of Bad Guy and local organic farmers and vegans cast as the Men in White Hats.

In Pollan’s script, the bad guys are responsible for everything from America’s weight problem and rising health care costs to widespread environmental degradation and monocultures that threaten national security. If only the law would get on the good guys’ side, he muses.

Food production is actually changing

All industries have issues that continually need to be addressed, and the food industry is no exception.

Agriculture consumes a lot of land and water and emits greenhouse gas emissions that must be curbed. And, yes, our diets have contributed to America’s obesity epidemic.

Except, our food system is changing, more than Pollan acknowledges.

The uptick in consumer demand for local, organic products is promising. So, too, are the contributions that Pollan’s so-called villains – the companies, agribusinesses and commodity farmers who produce what’s on our plate – are making to the environment. They deserve recognition. Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized / Also tagged ag retailer, ag retailers, agribusiness, Campbell Soup, climate change, commodity crops, commodity farmer, corn, cover crops, David Festa, ecosystems, environmental defense fund, factory farm, farm, farmer, farmers, fertilizer pollution, food industry, General Mills, greenhouse gas emissions, industrial-scale, Kellogg, Kellogg's, Land O' Lakes, large-scale, Michael Pollan, monoculture, no-till, nutrient efficiency, resilience, resiliency, Smithfield, Smithfield Foods, soil health, soy, SUSTAIN, sustainable agriculture, tilling, Walmart, wheat | Read 3 Responses

How ag retailers are helping improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay

By Katie Anderson / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: September 7, 2016

Farmers in front of a tractor Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN® platform – a powerful tool that can make a real impact in improving regional water quality — is coming to the Chesapeake Bay.

The Mill®, a large agricultural retail company, today became the first business in the area to utilize SUSTAIN in Maryland and Pennsylvania. SUSTAIN provides ag retailers with tools and training in best practices for fertilizer efficiency and soil health – such as cover crops and precision ag technologies – while maintaining the potential for high yields. Retail staff then bring this knowledge to the farmers they serve, meaning that one retail location can reach hundreds of farmers.

That’s why the platform, co-developed by Environmental Defense Fund, is taking off. Thus far, 27 ag retailers across the country have been trained, and food companies such as Smithfield Foods, Campbell’s Soup, Unilever, and Kellogg are connecting to the SUSTAIN platform as a way to meet their corporate sustainability goals.

I asked Ben Hushon, owner of The Mill, to tell me what this means for the Bay, for his company, and for farmers. Read More »

Posted in Supply Chain / Also tagged ag retail, agriculture, agronomists, agronomy, Campbell's Soup, Chesapeake Bay, farmers, fertilizer, growers, Kellogg's, Land O' Lakes, Land O'Lakes, Maryland, Midwest, Partnerships, Pennsylvania, row crops, Smithfield Foods, soil health, SUSTAIN, sustainable agriculture, Unilever, water quality | Comments are closed

These heartland conservation heroes defy stereotypes

By David Festa / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: September 6, 2016

Montana rancher Dusty Crary with his horses.

Western ranchers, Midwestern commodity crop growers, fishermen who make their livelihoods along the Mississippi River and the Gulf Coast. In some circles, these folks wouldn’t necessarily be considered models of sustainability. And yet, many are leading a quiet revolution in the way our food is raised, harvested and produced.

In her new book Rancher Farmer Fisherman: Conservation Heroes of the Heartland, my colleague Miriam Horn journeys down the Mighty Mississippi River System to meet five representatives of this unsung stewardship movement: Read More »

Posted in Supply Chain / Also tagged agricultural sustainability, American value, bipartisan, cattlemen, Climate, climate change, conservation, conservationist, conservative, cover crops, democracy, ecosystems, environmental defense fund, farmer, farming, fertilizer management, fisherman, Gulf of Mexico, hunters, hunting, kansas, land manager, Louisiana, Mississippi River, Montana, no-till, nutrient efficiency, nutrient management, progressive, rancher, ranching, red state, stewardship, sustainable agriculture | Read 1 Response

Why sustainable food can’t be a luxury

By Maggie Monast / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: August 5, 2016

Photo credit: Don Graham

The results are in, so food companies take notice: American consumers are educating themselves on our food system, and they’re increasingly asking for sustainably produced foods. That’s a key takeaway from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation’s new report on consumer attitudes toward food.

It’s an exciting trend, since what we buy sends a signal across the supply chain for farmers to grow ingredients in ways that protect our natural resources, and for food companies to source sustainably grown products. Sustainably produced food also supports food security, which is essential to our continued prosperity.

Yet sustainably grown products are almost always more expensive to produce than their unsustainable counterparts, which is why many farmers require a premium for changing their production practices to reduce environmental impacts.

To improve air and water quality and protect farmers’ livelihoods, sustainability can’t just be a luxury. Sustainable food production has to become business as usual.

Here’s why we’re well on our way to meeting that goal.

Posted in Uncategorized / Also tagged business case, Consumer Attitudes, fertilizer management, fertilizer optimization, food, food production, food security, food system, IFIC, International Food Information Council Foundation, Land O' Lakes, Smithfield Foods, sourcing, supply chain, sustainability, sustainable agriculture, sustainable food, Trend, Unilever | Comments are closed

Two ways to reduce toxic algal blooms

By Karen Chapman / Bio / Published: July 28, 2016

Photo: Eric Vance, US EPA

For a month now, South Florida Atlantic beaches have been blanketed by a sickly green, toxic algae sludge that has kept tourists away and caused local businesses to lose millions.

Florida has a bigger headache this summer than most states, but algae blooms are hardly unique.

Last week, more than 100 people were sickened from toxic algae in a Utah lake largely fed by agricultural runoff and treated sewage water. And just two summers ago, an outbreak in Lake Erie forced the City of Toledo to close off its water supply for nearly half a million residents.

Agricultural runoff also means wasted money for farmers, who can spend approximately half of their input costs on fertilizer.

There are ways to reduce the runoff that contributes to water quality problems and kills marine life, year after year. Algae blooms can be minimized and maybe even prevented if we scale up existing efforts to improve fertilizer efficiency and soil health – practices that can also save farmers money and boost their yields.

Two initiatives and private-sector partnerships are making real headway in doing just that. And if these efforts are replicated at scale, they could have a national – and even international – impact. Read More »

Posted in Supply Chain / Also tagged agriculture, algae, algae bloom, Campbell's Soup, environmental defense fund, farmers, fertilizer, Florida, Kellogg's, Lake Erie, Land O'Lakes, nutrient efficiency, nutrient management, NutrientStar, Ohio, pollution, runoff, Smithfield Foods, supply chain, supply chain sustainability, SUSTAIN, sustainable agriculture, sustainable supply chain, toxic algae, Unilever, United Suppliers, Utah, Walmart, water pollution, water quality | Read 6 Responses

Why collaboration between ag equipment and tech companies is a good thing for the environment

By Robert Parkhurst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: July 12, 2016

Binary code In order for the agriculture sector to deliver on the growing demand for sustainable grain and participate in emerging carbon markets, growers need a way to demonstrate that their management practices are benefiting the environment.

Scientists have identified multiple practices that farmers can implement to maximize yield while minimizing impacts to air and water. Meanwhile, companies such as Trimble Ag, John Deere, SST Software, and countless others have developed a wide array of sensing tools and data collection methodologies to calculate and monitor the environmental benefits of these practices.

Yet as one might expect in any emerging market, the tools aren’t fully communicating with each other, thereby limiting their true potential.

The good news is that the makers of these technologies have started collaborating with agricultural practitioners to make their systems more compatible. Even in this fragmented industry, companies are starting to work together to streamline data collection – and this has enormous implications for sustainability.

Here’s why. Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized / Also tagged ag equipment, ag retailer, ag tech, Agriculture Data Coalition, American Farm Bureau, carbon markets, CNH Industrial, data, data collection, data integration, data management, environment, environmental defense fund, farm, farmers, farming, fertilizer, fertilizer management, Google, internet of things, Iteris, John Deere, Land O'Lakes, M2M, machine to machine, nitrogen application rates, nutrient management, Partnerships, precision agriculture, Raven Industries, soil, SST Software, stewardship, sustainable agriculture, tech company, The Climate Corporation, The Ohio State University, yield | Comments are closed

Controlled drainage is the new black

By Maggie Monast / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: June 13, 2016

Dr. Mohamed Youssef demonstrates the benefits of controlled drainage.

NC State University’s agriculture water management expert Mohamed Youssef, Ph.D, believes the time is ripe for controlled drainage to make a comeback.

Controlled drainage is one of the most effective ways to minimize nitrogen loss from croplands. It’s a management practice involving the use of a control structure installed at the outlet of a drainage ditch or subsurface drain to regulate drainage water outflow according to plant needs and field operations.

“A controlled drainage system can remove between 40 and 60 percent of the nitrogen present in runoff, if used at a large scale. These systems hold huge potential to reduce pollution from very large flows of water runoff,” Youssef explained during my recent visit to NC State’s demonstration farms in eastern North Carolina.

Despite the promise, adoption rates for this practice remain very low, in part because of functionality problems with the first controlled drainage structures. But thanks to new advances in the technology that I recently viewed in the field, adoption rates are rising.

Like any filter practice, controlled drainage is just one tool that can help solve regional water quality problems. It’s not a silver bullet, especially with some geographic limitations since they can be used only on low-sloping fields. While there is no perfect solution to stop farm runoff, after seeing drainage systems first-hand, I too believe we’re nearing a tipping point for widespread adoption of controlled drainage in agriculture – and big environmental benefits. Here’s the story. Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized / Also tagged agriculture, controlled drainage, cover crops, environmental defense fund, farm, farming, fertilizer, fertilizer management, irrigation, Natural Resources Conservation Service, NC State, new technology, nitrogen, nitrogen surplus, North Carolina, nutrient management, runoff, sustainable agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA, water pollution, water quality | Read 1 Response

New guidebook explains how and why to build a farmer network

By Karen Chapman / Bio / Published: May 24, 2016

Farmers educating about corn Amidst all the new tools and technologies being developed to make agriculture more sustainable, there is one tried and true method for testing on-site conservation practices that doesn’t get much attention: farmer networks.

Farmer networks consist of growers within a region working directly with advisors, agronomists and/or scientists to conduct on-farm trials. These trials can test the economic and environmental impacts of changes in crop management, adoption of soil health practices, or use of precision agriculture tools. The data is then aggregated and analyzed to determine best practices for specific farm conditions and to inform future management decisions.

Originally established by the Iowa Soybean Association, the innovative farmer network model has since taken off, with Environmental Defense Fund and others establishing additional networks across the country. As University of Connecticut soil fertility expert Thomas Morris explains, participation in farmer networks has led to greater efficiency on hundreds of thousands of acres across the U.S – benefitting both the planet and yield. The potential for replication is limitless.

That’s why EDF created a how-to guide for other organizations, companies, and universities interested in creating a farmer network. The new Farmer Network Design Manual provides a roadmap to support sustainable agriculture practices, increase farm profits, and build resiliency. Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized / Also tagged ag retailer, agriculture, agronomist, case studies, commodity crops, corn, Cornell University, data collection, environmental defense fund, Extension On-Farm Research Program, extension services, farmer networks, fertilizer, fertilizer optimization, INfield Advantage Program, iowa, Iowa Soybean Association, kansas, Kansas State University, Maumee Farmer Network, North Carolina, North Carolina Agricultural Inputs Management Program, nutrient management, Nutrient Management Spear Program, NutrientStar, Partnerships, privacy, soy, stewardship, sustainable agriculture | Comments are closed