Press Releases

Washington Workshop Discusses Agriculture Future

March 26, 2010

NCGA: Keystone Alliance Explores Future Of Sustainability Movement.

The National Corn Growers Association participated in a workshop and plenary meeting this week in Washington of the Field to Market Keystone Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture. The meetings addressed a wide variety of sustainability issues, such as maintaining a proactive approach and updating data that affect growers in their own operations.

“The sustainability movement is rapidly gaining momentum,” said NCGA Corn Board member Mike Geske of Missouri, who attended the meeting with CEO Rick Tolman and Director of Public Policy Rod Snyder. “By participating in Field to Market, NCGA helps growers find ways to show how modern farming practices are truly sustainable. It is crucial that we take part in this conversation because if we as growers do not participate anti-agriculture forces will define the parameters of sustainability for us.”

During the Ecosystems Workshop, which was held at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s headquarters, participants from environmental groups, agricultural associations and government entities discussed the emerging ecosystems services industry. As interaction between the public and land owners over environmental practices increases, growers have a unique opportunity to shape the future of this interaction. By finding situations where public environmental concerns and private farming practices intersect, growers may be able to develop a future source of supplemental income through positively affecting air and water quality and decreasing greenhouse gases.

The subsequent Plenary Meeting brought alliance members from government agencies, academia, food companies, agribusiness and associations representing corn, cotton, soy, wheat, and rice growers together to discuss how to continue both increasing and proactively demonstrating the sustainability of modern agriculture. Alliance members decided to accurately and fully convey the continually increasing sustainability of U.S. agriculture by updating data used in the 2008 study for 2011.

Additionally, the group aims to increase grower awareness of the sustainability of their own operations through promotion of a tool offered by USDA. This tool consists of a web-based self analysis that helps growers analyze their sustainability and then offers resources that can help improve on farm practices. To access this tool or learn more about Field to Market, please visit www.fieldtomarket.org.

ABOUT FIELD TO MARKET

Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture® brings together a diverse group of grower organizations; agribusinesses; food, feed, beverage, restaurant, and retail companies; conservation groups; universities and public sector partners to focus on defining, measuring, and advancing the sustainability of food, feed, fiber, and fuel production. Field to Market comprises around 200 members representing all facets of the U.S. agricultural supply chain, with members employing more than 5 million people and representing combined revenues totaling over $1.5 trillion. 

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