Matching terminology with customers could boost demand
You may not ponder the sustainability of the products you buy at the grocery store each week – but many people do. More than half of the consumers surveyed last year by the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA),which represents more than 90 farmer – and rancher – led organizations and agricultural partners, said sustainability is a factor that impacts their food-buying decisions.
The magnitude of the matter can be seen as food companies and other soy end users make commitments to use only sustainably produced ingredients in order to meet consumer demands.
“For the most part, food companies define sustainability with measurements such as energy efficiency, nutrient management, water quality and soil health,” says Nancy Kavazanjian, Wisconsin soybean farmer and chair of USFRA.
“That’s okay since those are results we strive for on the farm,” adds Kavazanjian, who also leads sustainability strategy development for the United Soybean Board. “As farmers, we may call it conservation, animal care, least-cost rations, maximum ROI, legacy planning or stewardship. The good news is that all these practices help make farming more sustainable. But, I’d also like to see companies consider additional factors including how we make use of the renewable resources of biofuels, wind, solar energy and new, emerging technologies.”
To make sure farmers and food companies are working from the same definition of sustainability, Kavazanjian says the key is to look at the results of farming practices just like companies do. That means finding ways to record, gather and aggregate farm records in order to prove and measure on-farm sustainability.
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