An alliance for sustainable agriculture is giving farmers, companies and ag organizations what they need to measure sustainability and meet the needs of a booming global population. During the American Farm Bureau Federation’s recent 96th Annual Convention, Rod Snyder, president of Field to Market, the Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, talked about the tools available to help farmers track their progress and choose best practices on their farms.
“Sustainability is about meeting the needs of today while improving the ability of future generations to meet the needs of tomorrow,” Snyder said.
Field to Market offers several resources to help farmers and companies achieve this goal and share that story more broadly. Their national report analyzes trends across several commodities, with a focus on efficiency and production, and their Fieldprint Calculator allows farmers to analyze specific fields to measure progress and to share that data with suppliers, should they so choose.
“The real value of Field to Market is in the information that farmers are able to collect and then put to use, making long-term improvements on their farms,” Snyder said.
The most recent information into Field to Market shows a marked decrease in agriculture’s environmental footprint, important for major companies which have set ambitious sustainability goals for the next five to 10 years.