![\"Farmers](\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/52\/files\/2016\/09\/11987167_1672567059624534_8667142592134393981_n-300x201.jpg\")
Land O\u2019Lakes SUSTAIN\u00ae platform \u2013 a powerful tool that can make a real impact in improving regional water quality — is coming to the Chesapeake Bay.<\/p>\nLand O\u2019Lakes SUSTAIN\u00ae platform \u2013 a powerful tool that can make a real impact in improving regional water quality — is coming to the Chesapeake Bay.<\/p>\n
The Mill\u00ae<\/a>, 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 \u2013 such as cover crops and precision ag technologies \u2013 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.<\/p>\n That\u2019s 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\u2019s Soup, Unilever, and Kellogg are connecting to the SUSTAIN platform as a way to\u00a0meet their corporate sustainability goals<\/a>.<\/p>\n I asked Ben Hushon, owner of The Mill<\/a>, to tell me what this means for the Bay, for his company, and for farmers.<\/p>\n What can SUSTAIN do to improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay?<\/strong><\/p>\n The Chesapeake Bay has an important agricultural economy, but also suffers from excess nutrient loading into waterways.<\/p>\n The SUSTAIN platform has proven to be a successful model in the Midwest<\/a> to improve nutrient use efficiency and reduce nutrient loss to water and air \u2013 all while protecting growers\u2019 yield opportunity.<\/p>\n The platform is already being deployed in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Illinois \u2013 but The Mill is the first retailer to deploy SUSTAIN on the east coast.\u00a0 The market-based approach of the platform will help growers improve the Bay\u2019s water quality while maintaining or improving agricultural productivity.<\/p>\n What does becoming SUSTAIN-authorized entail?<\/strong><\/p>\n The Mill\u2019s ag retail staff have been trained in the platform, and can now bring this knowledge to the grower customers we serve. Bay area growers will work with The Mill\u2019s highly trained business agronomy staff<\/a> to access the latest knowledge and science that will help them farm the field in ways that are practical, usable, and effective in improving crop management for economic benefit and reduced risk.<\/p>\n What influenced you to join SUSTAIN? <\/strong><\/p>\n Beyond that, we\u2019re going to have the innovative, longer-term growers gravitate towards us because we aren\u2019t selling just fertilizer anymore, we\u2019re selling technology. And we\u2019re helping them improve their crop, improve their yield potential, and try new things.<\/p>\n All of our agronomists and applicators are really excited about SUSTAIN, too. It\u2019s not about how much fertilizer we sell, it\u2019s about servicing and helping growers improve profit potential. Efficiency is a great way to do that.<\/p>\n We\u2019re also passionate about communicating trends to our clientele. With SUSTAIN, we can tell our grower customers about a huge new marketing opportunity that comes from the major food companies already using the platform.<\/p>\n Related:<\/em><\/p>\n How this ag retailer is changing the entire U.S. food production system >><\/a><\/p>\n![\"SUSTAIN](\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/52\/files\/2016\/09\/SUSTAIN-graduates-300x188.jpg\")
We first heard a presentation on SUSTAIN several years ago, and we wanted \u201cin\u201d immediately, but we didn\u2019t officially start the on-boarding process until last year.<\/p>\n![\"Sustain](\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/52\/files\/2016\/07\/Sustain-logo-300x300.png\"){kind=logo}
We wanted to be a part of SUSTAIN to continue to grow our business and leadership in the community. We\u2019re seeing growers both young and old who want to learn, and want to leave their land better than they found it. Growers of all ages are excited to be involved in continuous improvement efforts.<\/p>\n