Representatives from farmers through the entire production chain met in Madison, Wis. last week for the bi-annual meeting of Field to Market, including representatives of the National Corn Growers Association.
Field to Market is a collaborative effort emphasizing the inclusion of diverse perspectives, a foundation of science- and outcomes-based approaches to sustainability, and a focus on commodity crops with recognition of their unique supply chains.
“We approved our 138th member company at this meeting and I think it’s indicative of the support to grow sustainability in our society,” said Keith Alverson, who serves on the board of NCGA and Field to Market. “This represents 9% growth since last year at this time and we continue to host important discussions on supply chain sustainability from all ends of the supply chain spectrum.”
Alverson said, “NCGA has a clear role and mission of engagement at Field to Market of representing a grower voice and help inform others in the supply chain on the advances we are seeing on the farm level in efficiency and sustainability of our practices.”
Field to Market provides a single platform to report on advances on the farm and offers a forum to work towards outcome-based supply chain measurements rather than standalone standards that are based only on practice adoption.
Currently Field to Market is nearing the release of Field Print Platform 3.0 as an online and API connected sustainability tool as well as diving into strategic planning.
The Fieldprint® Platform is a pioneering assessment framework that empowers brands, retailers, suppliers and farmers at every stage in their sustainability journey, to measure the environmental impacts of commodity crop production and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
Farmers can access this free and confidential tool through our online Fieldprint Calculator or through an increasing number of Application Programming Interfaces (API’s) that integrates the Platforms metrics and algorithms.
Field to Market also recognized Corn Grower Mike Wurmnest - a third-generation farmer from Deer Creek, Ill. – with their Farmer Spotlight Award for his noteworthy stewardship efforts.
“Mike understands that good stewardship of our soil and water resources is an ongoing process,” said Jacob Walker, Precision Conservation Management. When it comes to conservation, farmers must have a willingness to adapt as new practices and technologies become available, all the while using sound recordkeeping to maintain a close eye in their financial bottom line. “Mike’s operation serves as a great example of this philosophy in practice.”
COVID-19 Resources
NCGA is taking a series of actions to do our part to help contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the economic fallout it is creating for corn farmers and our customers. Short term, this means instituting policies to protect the health and safety of our stakeholders and the broader communities we serve. Long term, we’re focused on creating solutions to help corn farmers and our customers recover from the financial impacts of this crisis.
CommonGround
CommonGround is a group of farmers connecting with consumers through conversations about science and research and personal stories about food and misinformation surrounding farming. Supported by the NCGA and state corn organizations.
SHP
The Soil Health Partnership (SHP) is a farmer-led initiative that fosters transformation in agriculture through improved soil health. Administered by NCGA the partnership has more than 220 working farms enrolled in 16 states. SHP’s mission is to utilize science and data to partner with farmers who are adopting conservation agricultural practices that improve the economic and environmental sustainability of the farm.