ARDEN HILLS, Minn. and
CAMDEN, N.J., Aug. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Truterra, LLC,
the sustainability business at Land O'Lakes, Inc., one of America's
largest farmer-owned cooperatives, Campbell Soup Company, and The
Mill, a Land O'Lakes agricultural retailer, today announced the
results from year two of an agricultural sustainability pilot
project.
While the adoption of conservation practices needs to be tracked
over a longer period of time to assess impact and sustainability,
the year-two results suggest important progress. Truterra and The
Mill will identify opportunities based on these year-over-year
insights, and work with farmers to continue to advance their
stewardship and profitability in 2020 and beyond.
Using the Truterra™ Insights Engine, a best-in-class farm
sustainability data tool, participating farmers and project
partners tracked, aggregated and reported environmental and
economic outcomes of on-farm stewardship practices across 10,000
acres in the Chesapeake Bay region of Pennsylvania and Maryland. The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)
was instrumental in building the original pilot structure.
The project focuses on measuring and accelerating stewardship on
farms growing wheat in rotation in the supply regions for several
Campbell brands such as Pepperidge Farm bakery
classics, Pepperidge Farm cookies including
Farmhouse and Milano, Goldfish crackers and
Snyder's of Hanover pretzels.
Below are illustrative insights from participating project
acres.
- Participating acres were GHG emissions-neutral. Overall,
results tracked in the Truterra™ Insights Engine show near-zero net
on-farm greenhouse gas emissions across all acres. For some acres,
net emissions were negative, primarily driven by adoption of
conservation tillage and cover crops. As regenerative agriculture –
the potential for farming practices to make a net-positive impact
on climate and other natural resources – gains greater adoption,
this project provides new data showing the positive impacts of
farmer-led and farmer-driven stewardship.
- Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) improved between 2018 and
2019. In 2019, the average NUE across the wheat acres was 1.14
pounds of nitrogen per bushel. For wheat, a basic NUE score is 2.0
or higher, while an advanced NUE score is closer to 1.0 and
indicates that farmers have optimized yield while minimizing
environmental risk. Using crop nutrients more efficiently saves
farmers money and mitigates the risk of nutrient loss into the
environment.
- Soil erosion declined between 2018 and 2019, a step towards
improving soil health. Sheet and rill erosion, which create
movement in the topsoil, the most productive asset of farms,
declined between 2018 and 2019. Farmers that implement strong
practices to boost soil health will see lower erosion. Both diverse
crop rotations and an increase to 95% of all acres using no-till
management are positive drivers of soil health.
"These data help to provide proof of concept for farmer-led, and
ag retailer-supported, stewardship efforts. While the concept has
been popular for some time, insights from this project suggest that
smart farm management practices can help to slow and mitigate the
results of climate change, while supporting greater resilience to
the impacts of a changing climate and farm profitability," said
Jason Weller, Vice President,
Truterra, LLC. "We are energized by this snapshot of data that
signals the potential for a real and lasting impact on conserving
our natural resources when we bring private sector resources to
bear to support farmer-led stewardship."
The goal of the Campbell-Truterra project, launched in 2018, is
to assess how working through farmers' most trusted advisor – the
agricultural retailer – to deploy precision tools can result in
adoption of conservation practices and lead to positive
environmental outcomes, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions
on farms and improved water quality in the Chesapeake Bay region.
Additionally, the tools strengthen farm profitability and the
business case for stewardship by modeling the field-by-field
return-on-investment of conservation practices, while also
equipping growers to benefit from incentives made available through
the U.S. Farm Bill and other programs.
"This project has provided an awesome platform for our
growers to share their story that is built on the success of
conservation with the data to back it up," said Tim Hushon, Truterra Champion, The Mill.
"Opportunities to engage more growers about the Truterra™ Insights
Engine excites us and can only drive positive outcomes for the
environment. Growers are the stewards of the land and this project
has given them a piece of the recognition they deserve."
With a shared vision of making every farm sustainable, Truterra
and Campbell are working together
to continue to scale this model. Campbell recently announced that it has
reached its goal of enrolling 70,000 acres in the Truterra™
Insights Engine in Maryland,
Pennsylvania and Ohio, a year ahead of schedule.
"Our project with Truterra has been essential for achieving our
goal to drive sustainable agriculture on 70,000 acres of wheat
farmland by 2020. Our partnership links sustainability to financial
returns for the farm, which aligns with our sustainable agriculture
priorities," reported Dan Sonke,
Campbell's Director of Sustainable
Agriculture. "We are excited by the potential to drive more
regenerative practices on farms in our supply regions."
About Truterra, LLC
Truterra (formerly Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN) is a leading stewardship
solutions provider, advancing and connecting sustainability efforts
throughout the food system with scale – from farmers to ag
retailers to partners like food companies. Truterra positions
farmers for success by providing them tools and resources to
establish a stewardship baseline and track progress on every field
they farm. The Truterra™ network brings together the best in
agricultural technology and on-farm business management to drive
sustainability across the food system, feeding people, safeguarding
the planet and supporting farmer livelihoods. Truterra was launched
in 2016 by Land O'Lakes, Inc., a member-owned cooperative that
spans the spectrum from agricultural production to consumer
foods.
About Campbell Soup Company
Campbell (NYSE:CPB) is driven and
inspired by our purpose, "Real food that matters for life's
moments." For generations, people have trusted Campbell to provide authentic, flavorful and
affordable snacks, soups and simple meals, and beverages. Founded
in 1869, Campbell has a heritage
of giving back and acting as a good steward of the planet's natural
resources. The company is a member of the Standard and Poor's 500
and the FTSE4Good Index. For more information, visit
www.campbellsoupcompany.com or follow company news on Twitter via
@CampbellSoupCo.
About The Mill
Since 1986, agricultural retailer The Mill has delivered quality
products and services to farmers. Headquartered in Bel Air, Maryland, The Mill has seven retail
locations that includes a complete agronomy services team. The
company's services spread throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware. The Mill's Agronomy Division began
in 2003 and has expanded into a team of five Certified Crop
Advisors, two precision ag managers and seven professional
fertilizer applicators, offering farmers a combination of
practices, products and technologies available to help maintain
soil health, improve nutrient use efficiency, and minimize
environmental impact. The Mill prides itself on the valuable
relationships it has developed and maintained with farmers and
other environmental, government and university organizations.
Land O'Lakes
Natalie Long
612-368-5600
NLong@landolakes.com
Campbell Soup Company
Amanda Pisano
856-342-8590
Amanda_Pisano@campbells.com
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SOURCE Truterra, LLC