Sustainability seems to be a hot buzzword the last several years, especially when it comes to agriculture. Farmers have been trying to yield higher quality crops by using less inputs, and technology is to thank.
Polly Ruhland, CEO of the United Soybean Board (USB), said sustainability is a big part of their long-term strategic plan because when other countries talk about U.S. soy quality, they mean sustainability.
“That’s not a journey that happens overnight—it’s a journey of continual improvement,” she said to U.S. Farm Report host Tyne Morgan at the inaugural AgTech Expo in Indianapolis earlier this month. “We’re really interested in not only the value of the bean itself, but the value that the sustainability of our farmers offers to international customers.”
Farmers, like Kip Tom of Tom Farms in Indiana, recognize companies have used a considerable amount of technology to drive yields higher.
“We need to extract more value and hopefully to be in coordinated supply chain where we have specific products we’re growing for specific end users,” he said. “That means something different to every customer.”
Data is helping Tom drive his decisions, and companies like Monsanto are using that data to make future decisions. Bob Reiter, research and development integration strategy at Monsanto, says this grower data is key.
“It’s all about making better decisions and helping our group be successful and sustainable,” he said.
Hear their full thoughts and why Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal agronomist, says producers need good data to make good decisions on U.S. Farm Report above.
