Growing Returns

This Iowa farmer proves that profit and sustainability go hand in hand

By Suzy Friedman / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: November 2, 2016

Photo credit: John Rae

Denny Friest is one of the most progressive and savvy farmers I’ve ever met. Through his participation in the Iowa Soybean Association’s On-Farm Network since 2001, Denny conducted replicated strip trials on his operation to compare different nitrogen application rates and find ways to be more efficient and profitable.

The Iowa legislature saw so much value in this field trial program that it provided funding to reimburse farmers who lost yield in their efforts to improve efficiency. With no risk involved, Denny was able to see “how low he could go” with fertilizer applications before he had an economic loss in production. Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized / Tagged ag retailers, corn, Des Moines Water Works, fertilizer, fertilizer efficiency, fertilizer management, fertilizer optimization, fertilizer runoff, iowa, Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Soybean Association, Land O'Lakes, nitrogen, nitrogen surplus, nutrient management, nutrient use, soil health, soy, SUSTAIN, sustainable agriculture, water quality | Comments are closed

Why Kansas farmer Justin Knopf strives to emulate the native prairie

By Suzy Friedman / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: September 15, 2016

I first met Justin Knopf at a meeting in DC about five years ago. At 6’3”, he definitely stood out, but not just physically. He openly conveyed how important his family and his land are – the reason he cares so much about making sure his Kansas farming operation can live on is for his children. It’s rare to meet someone so articulate, sincere and committed to sustainability.

Over the years, I have become more and more impressed by Justin, who started farming at age 14 when his father gave him the means to rent land and buy seed and fertilizer.

Fast forward to today, and Justin is one of the country’s champions of no-till farming – a practice that has boosted his yields and made his crops more resilient to the effects of extreme weather. His dedication and success caught the attention of Miriam Horn, author of the new book Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman: Conservation Heroes of the American Heartland.

Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman tells the stories of five individuals in the enormous Mississippi River watershed (Justin included) who are embracing sustainability and defying stereotypes. I asked Justin about the book, his beliefs on sustainability and what’s next for no till. Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized / Tagged agricultural sustainability, agriculture, biological system, biology, climate change, conservation, cover crop, cover cropping no-till, cover crops, ecosystems, environment, environmental defense fund, farmer, farmers, farming, heartland, Justin Knopf, kansas, land, land stewardship, Midwest, Mississippi River, natural resources, no-till, Rancher Farmer Fisherman, resilience, resiliency, soil conservation, soil erosion, soil health, soil management, stewardship, sustainability, sustainable agriculture, water, watershed | Comments are closed

A coalition of uncommon bedfellows is bringing sustainable agriculture to scale

By Suzy Friedman / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: August 31, 2016

Farmers in field Today represents a huge advancement for sustainable agriculture, and a new era of food company collaboration. At the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, we are officially launching the Midwest Row Crop Collaborative (MRCC): a diverse coalition working to expand on-the-ground solutions to protect air and water quality, enhance soil health, and maintain high yields throughout the Upper Mississippi River Basin.

Founding members of the MRCC include Cargill, Environmental Defense Fund, General Mills, Kellogg Company, Monsanto, PepsiCo, The Nature Conservancy, Walmart, and World Wildlife Fund. The coalition will work directly with growers to help foster continuous improvement and implement conservation activities across three pilot states responsible for 44 percent of corn, soy, and wheat production in the United States: Illinois, Nebraska, and Iowa. Read More »

Posted in Climate Resilience, Supply Chain / Tagged Ag Retailers Association, Agricultural Retailers Association, ARA, Campbell's, Cargill, cattle, corn, cotton, crop yields, Farm Progress, farmers, fertilizer, Field to Market, General Mills, Illinois, iowa, Kellogg, Mississippi, National Corn Growers Association, Nebraska, Ogallala, Partnerships, Pepsi, RCPP, soil health, Soil Health Partnership, soy, sustainable agriculture, Upper Mississippi River Basin, Walmart, wheat, WWF | Read 2 Responses

How animal agriculture can help meet the Paris Climate Agreement goals

By Suzy Friedman / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: June 20, 2016

corn field The Paris Climate Agreement included a special emphasis on food security and the threats it faces from extreme weather events. Despite only brief mentions of agriculture in the preamble to the agreement itself, a recent study from the University of Vermont reveals that global emissions reduction targets absolutely cannot be met without significant contributions from the agricultural sector.

According to this new research in Global Change Biology, agriculture needs to reduce emissions by one gigaton per year in 2030, yet current mitigation strategies can only meet 40 percent of this target, at most, and may deliver as little as 21 percent of what is needed.

The authors argue that agriculture needs to play its part, and I couldn’t agree more. We are dependent on agriculture not only to keep us fed, but also to lead the way in addressing climate change threats. Agriculture represents approximately 9 percent of total emissions in the U.S., and between 10 to 29 percent of emissions globally, though this figure is projected to increase.

Despite the fact that 119 nations included agricultural mitigation as an in-country strategy for meeting the Paris Agreement reduction targets, no country has yet reported on how to accomplish these pledges.

Ultimately, the responsibility to implement tangible on-farm changes that reduce emissions falls on billions of farmers, but there is an even greater responsibility for animal agriculture companies. Here’s why – and what these companies can do to help tackle the climate challenge. Read More »

Posted in Climate Resilience / Tagged agriculture, carbon emissions, climate change agreement, farmers, global carbon emissions, meat consumption, Paris climate change, soil health, sustainability, sustainable agriculture | Comments are closed

Want to bring ag sustainability to scale? Collaboration, not confrontation.

By Suzy Friedman / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: May 11, 2016

One year ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced 10 “building blocks” for climate-smart agriculture and forestry, with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by over 120 million metric tons by 2025.

The agency’s focus on partnering with farmers and ranchers – as well as with the private sector – was a huge step in the right direction toward widespread implementation of climate-smart agriculture techniques and programs.

Tomorrow, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack will announce another big investment in conservation stewardship and climate-smart agriculture approaches to advance the building blocks agenda. I’ll be joining Secretary Vilsack to talk about EDF’s partnerships within the agricultural supply chain and our collaborative approach to ag sustainability.

Working across public-private sector lines, through a collaborative approach, and with the entire ag supply chain is the only way to bring sustainability to scale while protecting farmers’ livelihoods.

Here’s what key sectors of the ag supply chain are doing – and can do – to improve water quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and increase agricultural resilience. Read More »

Posted in Carbon Market, Climate Resilience, Supply Chain / Tagged agriculture, Campbell's Soup, Carbon Offsets, climate change, conservation, corn, cover crops, ecosystems, environmental defense fund, farmers, farming, fertilizer, Field to Market, food production, food security, General Mills, Kellogg's, nitrogen, nutrient efficiency, Partnerships, Smithfield Foods, soil health, SUSTAIN, sustainable agriculture, Unilever, United Suppliers, USDA, Walmart | Comments are closed

A newly re-energized sustainable ag movement

By Suzy Friedman / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: May 2, 2016

Last month I spent some time in Bentonville, Arkansas, at Walmart’s semi-annual “Sustainability Showcase,” a celebration of the company’s progress in implementing environmental initiatives.

During the showcase, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon invited the executives of major Fortune 500 companies in attendance to share their insights on sustainability – and I was inspired. On stage were the CEOs of Cargill, Kellogg, as well as Dr. Mehmood Khan, Vice Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer, Global Research and Development for PepsiCo.

I was struck by how open and bold these CEOs were in recognizing the need and their responsibility to help solve major environmental challenges such as climate change and water pollution. McMillon, for example, started the discussion by explaining that 20 percent of lakes in Minnesota are not drinkable, a situation that “touches people personally every day.”

Here’s my take on the top two agricultural highlights – and why I’m more confident than ever that sustainable farming initiatives will improve water and air quality across the U.S. Read More »

Posted in Supply Chain / Tagged agriculture, Cargill, corporate social responsibility, ecosystems, environmental defense fund, farmers, farming, feed grain, fertilizer, food companies, food security, Kellog's, mapping technology, NutrientStar, Partnerships, PepsiCo, precision agriculture, supply chain, sustainability, sustainable agriculture, variable rate application, Walmart, water quality | Comments are closed

Public funding for ag research has plummeted. Is that a bad thing?

By Suzy Friedman / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: April 26, 2016

Cover crop demonstration at the 2013 Soil Health Expo, hosted by NRCS and the Univ. of MO. Credit: Curators of the University of Missouri

Public sector funding for agricultural research is flat lining. While public dollars used to be the primary source of support for ag research, that is no longer the case. Today, the private sector spends as much on agricultural research as the government does, according to USDA. Long-term growth in funding for ag research is also higher in the private sector.

As a recent DTN story noted, “Some skeptics say the need for public research is overblown, that private companies — seed, chemical and machinery — already provide a large pile of dollars.”

Are the skeptics right?

Public and private ag research funding don’t always have the same goals, and they play very different, but equally important roles. Here’s an overview of what each sector contributes, how they relate, and why we need to continue advocating for and supporting investments from both sectors – as well as public-private partnerships. Read More »

Posted in Supply Chain / Tagged agriculture, agriculture research, climate change, corn, ecosystems, environmental defense fund, farmers, fertilizer, nitrogen, Partnerships, precision agriculture, public-private partnerships, research funding, soil health, sustainable agriculture, USDA, water quality | Read 1 Response

Organic or conventional. Which production system can feed the world sustainably?

By Suzy Friedman / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: March 15, 2016

Organic. Conventional. Locally grown. And the list goes on. The seemingly age-old debate of what system can best feed and sustain the planet is again at the front of my mind on National Ag Day.

When I spoke at a recent Food Entrepreneurship Symposium event at Princeton University, an audience member asked me if organic is the best path forward to feed the planet sustainably. At Commodity Classic in New Orleans earlier this month, I spoke with growers about whether conventional ag is the way to feed a growing population.

My answer: there is no silver bullet when it comes to sustainable agriculture. There is no single system, no one-size-fits-all prescription that can solve our food security and environmental sustainability challenges.

That’s why we cannot afford to shut the door on any idea, or on any system of food production. Here’s how organic and conventional compare on yields and environmental impacts, and why we need both systems, local and global production, and big and small farms in order to protect food security and the planet. Read More »

Posted in Climate Resilience / Tagged agriculture, air pollution, climate change, commodity classic, conservation, conventional, ecosystems, farmers, farming, farms, fertilizer, food, food production, food security, nitrogen, organic, soil health, sustainability, sustainable agriculture, water quality, yield | Comments are closed

Meet the farmer who helped make no-till the norm in north central Montana

By Suzy Friedman / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: February 24, 2016

Approximately 56 percent of all corn, soy, wheat, and cotton farms use strip-tillage or no-till on at least a portion of their land. No-till, as defined by experts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, means “limiting soil disturbance to manage the amount and distribution of crop and plant residue on the soil surface year round.” Strip tillage, meaning soil disturbance occurs on 30 percent or less of the field, also qualifies as no-till.

No-till is a widely recognized conservation practice that can help growers maximize soil health. The practice works best when implemented year after year and combined with other conservation measures like fertilizer efficiency and cover crops (wherever geography permits). There are myriad benefits for farmers and the planet, but barriers still exist.

That’s why I’m so amazed by a no-till adoption rate of 90 percent in north central Montana.

I talked with Carl Mattson, Montana grain grower and an agricultural policy and conservation consultant, about why he made the switch to no-till, why he was an early adopter of the practice, why so many farmers in his region use no-till, and what he sees as other obstacles to the future of sustainable farming. Read More »

Posted in Climate Resilience, Wildlife Protection / Tagged agriculture, conservation, conservation tillage, cover crops, drought, ecosystems, environmental defense fund, farmers, farming, farms, fertilizer, food production, food security, no-till, NRCS, nutrient efficiency, soil health, stewardship, sustainability, sustainable agriculture, USDA, wheat | Comments are closed

Nature inspired my career in conservation, but farmers and family keep me going

By Suzy Friedman / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: December 15, 2015

My husband and 10-year old twins – keeping me dedicated to a sustainable future.

Whether I’m out shopping, preparing a meal for my husband and 10 year-old twins, or visiting a farm with one of our agricultural partners, I’m continually reminded of why I’m so passionate about agriculture. The food supply chain touches all parts of our lives, and my job gives me the opportunity to make sure the farm to plate journey is as sustainable as possible.

Growing up in Connecticut, I spent a lot of time exploring the outdoors and I’ve always had a deep love for animals. Although most of my time in nature is now spent protecting it, I still find the time to run outside every morning before I wake up my kids. Along with all of the farmers and partners I work with, my children – and their cousins (also twins, born on the same exact day as mine) – are the ones keeping me dedicated to building a sustainable future.

Here’s why I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else. Read More »

Posted in Supply Chain / Tagged agriculture, climate change, conservation, ecosystems, environment, farmers, farming, farms, food production, food security, Partnerships, Princeton, Smithfield, sustainability, sustainable agriculture, United Suppliers, USDA, water quality | Comments are closed