A segment of the panel will be featured on the U.S. Farm Report on Saturday, April 16 at 9 a.m. CT.
The Success in Stewardship Network (SISN), an initiative of NCGA and the Environmental Defense Fund, breaks down the notion that only elite groups can improve environmental results. Conservation practices that protect the land and water are not only accessible, profitable, scalable—they are commonplace on farms across America. Recipients of 2022’s SISN recognition, the Iowa Seed Corn Cover Crop Initiative and INField Advantage, were honored at a panel presentation that was hosted by U.S. Farm Report’s Tyne Morgan.
The event, which was held in National Corn Growers Association’s “Born for the Field” booth, focused on the U.S. Corn Sustainability 2030 Goals and how growers are taking the lead in writing and sharing their personal sustainability stories. The panel kicked off with NCGA Board Member and Field to Market Chair Brandon Hunnicutt drawing the important connections between the boots-on-the-ground efforts, NCGA’s nationwide sustainability goals, and amplifying each grower’s conservation journey:
“NCGA put out the Corn Sustainability Report last summer and we have some very solid goals we are going after by 2030 to help really reduce our environmental footprint,” said Nebraska grower Brandon Hunnicutt. “It’s really important from my standpoint to be able to measure those successes—more than just saying ‘hey, we’re doing it’—to that point that we can really go out and show what we’re doing as an American corn farmer . . . and then how can we partner with others to make sure those initiatives are being met.”
Since 2020, the Success in Stewardship Network has acknowledged state and regional programs for their excellence in stewardship, including clear goal-setting and thorough data collection. This year’s recognition included the following representatives: Shannon Moeller, Iowa Seed Corn Cover Crop Initiative project coordinator; Bert Strayer, Iowa Seed Association board member; and INField Advantage grower directors Mike Buis and David Ring.
The Iowa Seed Corn Cover Crop Initiative focuses on ways to help increase the adoption of cover crops, specifically within the seed corn production system in Iowa. The focus on seed corn is driven by the unique opportunity that seed corn provides, due to the earlier harvest, thereby providing better timing opportunities for establishing cover crops in the late summer and fall after harvest. This focus is also heavily driven by the seed corn industry in Iowa, and their efforts to help promote and support the use of cover crops as part of Iowa’s Nutrient Strategy.
INfield Advantage has been providing trial-based management practice evaluations to Indiana growers since 2011. Through the program’s agronomic partners, farmers have access to the highest quality assessment technology and expertise — allowing them to leverage real, personalized, on-farm data to understand how field-specific practices can influence input use, soil health and ultimately yields or input cost savings.
To view the entire recording, filmed at Commodity Classic 2022 in New Orleans, visit Success in Stewardship Network – Honoring 2022’s Recipients.