Sustainability Isn’t Just A Buzz Word For Today’s Farmer

Everywhere you go, both in and out of farm country, you hear the term sustainability.  And for the agriculture community, practicing sustainability is only half of the battle; the other half is sharing what’s happening on today’s farm.

Tiffany Dean, Vice President of Sustainable Solution at Valent USA says when talking about sustainability, it’s key to think about what that looks like in practice.  To help, Valent USA has their Sustainable Solutions Portfolio.

“What we're really trying to do is extract and highlight the sustainable efforts that the growers are already doing and tailoring that into our portfolio," Dean said.  "So, our Sustainable Solutions Portfolio, they have to hit within eight criteria, and this is third-party verified, and it comes down to, hey, are these products IPM friendly? Do they help support conservation efforts as far as tillage is concerned? Do they help from a water reduction perspective? Do they help from, you know, soil health?”

Dean added that there’s a gamut of criteria they are trying to evaluate with the Portfolio.  But she said, at the end of the day, Valet USA is trying to bring solutions that execute sustainability, not just talk about it.  Dean added it’s important that farmers and growers advocate for themselves, and don’t be shy when it comes to sharing their story of sustainability.

“Farmers have been stewards of the land. They are the original conservationists," Dean pointed out.  "They've been the original people that have been promoting sustainability, maybe not with such a loud voice, and that's where we need to come into play. We, as manufacturers, need to be in all of the voices and all of the interactions that we're having, that we are highlighting the fact that farmers are doing this day in, day out sometimes without thinking about it.”

Click Here to learn more about sustainability and conversation efforts at Valent USA.

If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail glenn.vaagen@townsquaremedia.com