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Corn growers measuring sustainability

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National Corn Growers Association is focusing on how to improve sustainability throughout the agricultural supply chain.

Through their Field to Market program, NCGA and others have formed an alliance which defines, measures, and advances sustainable efforts in agriculture.  Theresa Sisung with Michigan Corn says the Fieldprint Calculator with Field to Market is used as a baseline to measure improvements in sustainability.

“Farmers can put in information about their farming practices on individual fields and then the calculator will give them a report back to say how they’re doing compared to other farmers.”  She tells Brownfield sustainability indicators include land use, conservation, carbon, irrigation/water usage, water quality, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

Sisung says NCGA ‘s Soil Health Partnership program is also connected to Field to Market.  She says demonstration farms research on-farm practices which improve soil health and provide value to farmers.

Sisung tells Brownfield, both programs this week were emphasized in a White House Ag Sustainability Round Table.  “Farmers we know are the original stewards of the land, but it feels like their constantly having to prove that and a lot of farmers are being questioned on their practices.”

Learn more at www.fieldtomarket.org.

AUDIO: Interview with Theresa Sisung (4:22 mp4):

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