Growing Returns

Selected tag(s): environment

Ag’s big data explosion can benefit the environment too

By Robert Parkhurst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: October 5, 2015

Almost daily, I see new stories on how agribusinesses, entrepreneurs, and traditional technology companies are making big investments in precision agriculture tools and digital platforms that collect data from farms.

These data include information such as fertilizer rate, prescription accuracy, yield by square foot, seed type, and soil type. When analyzed at a large scale, the data can determine best practices for farm operations to maximize yield and minimize input costs.

This is an exciting trend, with big and small companies alike getting into the data game, and the tools used to collect this data becoming ubiquitous. And although these technologies weren’t necessarily started with sustainability in mind, they have tremendous potential to benefit the environment. Read More »

Posted in Carbon Market, Climate Resilience / Also tagged agriculture, air pollution, big data, Climate Corporation, DuPont, ecosystems, farmers, farming, GHG mitigation, Monsanto, nutrient efficiency, precision agriculture, software, sustainability, sustainable agriculture, technology, Trimble Ag, USDA, water pollution | Read 1 Response

Sustainability and profitability go hand-in-hand, says Iowa corn farmer

By Suzy Friedman / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: July 30, 2015

Tim Richter, owner of Saratoga Partnership.

Farming is a tough business. With constantly changing crop prices, difficult to predict and increasingly extreme weather variations, and changing consumer demands, growers don’t have an easy time of it.

Like any business, profitability is the number one priority. And it should be – if you are not profitable, it’s very hard to stay in business.

All the growers I’ve worked with care deeply about their land. In a recent survey of a group of Midwestern farmers, “land stewardship” ranked as their top value. And sustainability is in a farmers’ best interest since healthy lands plays a huge role in whether farms will be around – and productive – for the next generation. But making agriculture truly sustainable will require investment from farmers.

Here’s the good news: sustainability and profitability can go hand-in-hand. Efficiencies like fertilizer optimization can result in cost savings. And with those savings, growers can invest in new technologies and cover crops, which can help make farms more resilient and increase yields, generating long term economic gain.

I asked Tim Richter, owner of a swine and corn farm operation spanning 9,000 acres in northern Iowa and Missouri, to tell me his profitability and sustainability story. Read More »

Posted in Supply Chain / Also tagged agronomy, business, commodity crops, corn, cover crops, ecosystems, farm, fertilizer, fertilizer optimization, G.I. bill, growers, iowa, iowa state, land stewardship, midwestern farmers, missouri, runoff, saratoga partnership, soil, soil conservation, sustainability, sustainable, sustainable agriculture, swine, the sustainability consortium, Tim Richter, yields | Comments are closed

What a visit with a California citrus grower taught me about agricultural sustainability

By Sara Kroopf / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: July 6, 2015

EDF’s Sara Kroopf smells the soil at a citrus nursery in Arvin, California.

Putting yourself in the boots of a California farmer will give you a whole new perspective.

That’s why I recently spent a few days alongside Matt Fisher, a citrus grower in Kern County, California – to better understand growers’ challenges and concerns, and to rethink how environmental groups and farmers can achieve shared goals.

The experience was part of a farm exchange program offered through the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation, which facilitates learning opportunities on California farms.

With a record-breaking drought in California, tensions between environmentalists and farmers run high, and finger pointing is everywhere. But that isn’t getting us anywhere. The time I spent on Matt’s farm gave me new inspiration to break down barriers, put aside stereotypes, and work together. Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized / Also tagged agriculture, california, California Agricultural Leadership Foundation, California agriculture, conservation, crop, drought, erosion, farm, farmer, fertilizer, food, grower, Kern County, natural resources, Oakland, oranges, soil, sustainable, sustainable agriculture, water use, western water | Comments are closed

Bridging the gap of skepticism between producers and environmental groups

By Peyton Johnson / Published: June 29, 2015

Peyton Johnson, communications intern at EDF, with her mother, Kay Johnson Smith.

Producers and environmental groups haven’t always been the best of friends. That’s why, when I got an internship this summer with Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), my mom was more than a little uneasy.

My mom, Kay Johnson Smith, is president and CEO of the Animal Agriculture Alliance, a non-profit group that supports producers and promotes better consumer understanding of modern animal agriculture.

After learning more about EDF, my mom eventually came around to the idea of my working for a conservation organization. That’s because I shared with her EDF’s mission and explained that the organization works with producers to meet the growing demands for food in ways that also improve the environment. I’m happy to say that she now is pleased to see me working to bridge the gap of skepticism between producers and environmental groups.

As part of EDF’s effort to work with diverse partners and to share their voices, I asked my mom to share what motivates her work and her vision on the role of sustainability in U.S. agriculture. Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized / Also tagged agriculture, animal agriculture alliance, consumer, cooper farms, environmental defense fund, fair oaks farm, farm, farmer, food production, growing population, kay johnson, kay johnson smith, producers, rancher, Smithfield Foods, sustainable agriculture | Read 4 Responses

Farmers know: You can’t manage what you don’t measure

By Maggie Monast / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: December 9, 2014

It is no surprise that information has value in the technology age. A recent article in the New York Times spotlights an Indiana farming family to show how information is shaping 21st century agriculture.

Kip Tom, a seventh-generation farmer, is riding the wave of agricultural consolidation that, since the 1980s, has led to bigger farms, bigger technology, and now, bigger data.

Bigger revenues have come along with this transition. Tom says better data analysis has raised his return on investment over seven percent – from 14 percent to 21.2 percent.

Posted in Uncategorized / Also tagged agriculture, big data, farming, fertilizer, innovation, nutrient efficiency, Partnerships, sustainable agriculture, United Suppliers, water quality | Comments are closed