U.S. soybean farmers provide sustainable feed for animal ag
Sustainability is a subject that consumers are concerned about, both domestic or abroad. That’s why it is crucial for soybean farmers to continue to provide a sustainable feed for their No. 1 customer – animal ag.
According to a checkoff-funded-study, soybean farmers have used sustainable farming methods to decrease energy use, soil erosion, greenhouse–gas emissions and irrigated water use by more than 40-percent each since 1980. The purpose of the study was to show the improvements that have been made in sustainability performance over the past 30 years in soybeans, corn, wheat, cotton, rice and potatoes.
“We’ve become more sustainable in the United States by using fewer inputs to produce more products, while also caring for the environment,” says soy checkoff farmer-leader David Hartke, from Illinois. “We’re looking out for the next generation.”
To demonstrate this, the checkoff has developed the U.S. Soybean Sustainability Assurance Protocol, which shows the sustainability performance of all U.S. soybean farmers and offers proof that livestock and poultry farmers are giving a sustainable feed ingredient to their animals.