News

Consumers unfamiliar with sustainable farming practices

A recent survey shows consumers value sustainability but don’t understand which farming practices are sustainable.

Amy Roady with the Illinois Soybean Association tells Brownfield the goal of their survey was to understand consumer attitudes and awareness of soybeans and sustainability.  “I think one of the key learnings was just that there is a need to do some education just about what soybeans are, what products are they used in, how are they grown.”

The survey found about half of consumers were familiar with sustainable farming practices and more than 20 percent believed none of the sustainability-related items including cover crops and no-till were actually associated with sustainable soybean production.  “After people had learned more, their support for sustainable farming practices rose 12 points overall.”

The results were compiled from a mix of online surveys and focus group feedback from the Chicagoland and Illinois region.

AUDIO: Interview with Amy Roady