Food companies are responding to consumer demands
Sustainability has become a prolific word in recent years for the public and agriculture alike. But for farmers, sustainability has been a wordless concept that’s driven their operations from day one. If a practice isn’t profitable, and doesn’t maintain land and resources for the next generation, it doesn’t last long for a successful farmer.
So the recent hype around sustainable practices, especially in the food and feed industries, has some farmers scratching their heads. Several companies, including the ones depicted below, have publicly announced promises to buy their product ingredients from sustainable sources, and that demand trickles down to impact U.S. soybean farmers.
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This trend begs the question – is consumer demand driving it?
With support from the soy checkoff, the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) recently surveyed consumers on why sustainability is important in agriculture. “The research tells us that consumers want to know two things about sustainability,” says Nancy Kavazanjian, Wisconsin soybean farmer and chairwoman of USFRA. “First, that farmers and ranchers are taking care of the soil, water, air and wildlife habitat around their farms; and second, how farmers are making things better for future generations.”
One in four consumers surveyed said that sustainability is their most important consideration in food purchases, and 40 percent said it is a factor.
Knowing that both demand and awareness are growing for sustainably raised U.S. soy, it is important for farmers to be ready to share what this looks like on their farms.
“Keep it simple and tangible,” says Kavazanjian. “Tell stories about what you’re doing to improve your resources. For example, the motto of my farm has always been ‘our soil, our strength’ because we know that if we have good soil, we’ll have good crops. Even though it’s not new to us, I make it a point to tell our non-farming neighbors that this motto drives us to protect our resources on the farm and to provide a strong crop year after year to our community.”
What’s your sustainability story?
