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Companies join USFRA to endorse shared vision for sustainable food systems

More than 30 companies, led by US Farmers and Ranchers in Action (USFRA), are joining together to achieve a sector-wide vision for sustainable food systems of the future.

CEO Erin Fitzgerald says the Decade of Ag vision is for a resilient, restorative, economically viable, and climate-smart ag system that produces abundant and nutritious food, natural fiber, and clean energy.

“What better sector could be the leaders on the year of action for community and planet than our farmers and ranchers,” she says. “We are the heroes everyone has been looking for we just need to make sure we all have a shared vision of who we are and what we’re capable of fulfilling. That’s what the Decade of Ag is about— calling on all leaders in action and saying this is were we need to go, help us meet that goal.”

She tells Brownfield the movement comes at a critical time when climate is a top priority.

“Agriculture has the potential to reduce its footprint by -4 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions,” he says. “We are likely the first sector that can be a net negative contributor and usher in an era of a transition to a net zero economy and that’s coming from our farmers, meaning we’ll be a sector that not only reduces a footprint but also has a handprint in society.”

Fitzgerald says the movement has been two years in the making. Since 2019, leaders across the value chain have helped create a vision for the future that brings the farm and food sectors together. USFRA recently unveiled a growing list of companies, organizations, and individuals who joined the Decade of Ag.

Companies involved include: National Association of Wheat Growers, United Sorghum Checkoff Program, American Egg Board, Corteva, Bayer, Cargill, POET, the Nature Conservancy, and more. Interested individuals and companies can find out more and endorse Decade of Ag at usfarmersandranchers.org/join-the-movement/decade-of-ag-vision/.

Audio: Erin Fitzgerald