Guy Gagen talks broadly about his time in the US with Mike Hambly and the USSEC as they learnt about the sustainable growing of soy.
To help overcome some of the misunderstandings about their industry, US Soybean growers have worked hard to engage with their customers and other farmers internationally to share their story. In October, the US Soy Export Council arranged for ten farmers and farm policy representatives from five European countries (France, Denmark, Italy, Spain and UK) to visit US soy producing areas and see for themselves how sustainable farming practices and technologies are used on the ground to help improve environmental outcomes in areas affected by sediment and nutrient pollution.
Soy is produced across a large area of the US, and soy-producing farmland drains into some highly sensitive water bodies including Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Farmers in these catchments (called 'watersheds' over there) have worked with their membership organisations, levy boards, environmental charities and government and university conservation advice services to pinpoint issues in the environment, how farming practices impact these issues and work out solutions that keep farmers in business, always remembering 'if it’s not profitable, it’s not sustainable'.
Meeting USDA, soybean representatives, farmers, university food and agriculture thought leaders, renewable fuel producers and plant breeders helped explain how policy and support for farmers had been designed to help identify practices that were more profitable and better for the environment – ultimately more sustainable. This is demonstrated through the recently published US Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol, including US laws and policies on conservation and sustainability. Discussion and field visits with soy wheat and corn farmers helped explain the practical issues that had been overcome as they adopted innovative farm practices, including no-till, conservation areas and lately use of catch and cover-crops and more recently capital works in some of the more challenging areas.
This week, Mike Hambly and I will be unveiling the trip’s observations and learnings day by day – follow @CropsBoard and @NFUtweets on Twitter for updates.