New Supply Chain Sustainability Program for U.S. Crops

Washington, DC (July 8, 2014) – Today, Field to Market^®, the Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture announced the launch of a new agricultural supply chain program for U.S. commodity crops. The Field to Market metrics and benchmarks developed through a multi-stakeholder process over the past several years will now become an important platform for measuring, promoting and reporting on continuous improvement in corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, rice, potatoes and other crops related to seven sustainability indicators: land use, soil conservation, soil carbon, irrigated water use, water quality, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

The new program, which was approved at the organization’s recent biannual board meeting in Fayetteville, Arkansas, will focus on benchmarking current sustainability outcomes, catalyzing continuous improvement at the field and landscape level, and enabling supply chain sourcing claims.

“The announcement signals a major commitment among members to address supply chain sustainability in a manner that is transparent, grounded in science, focused on outcomes and open to a full range of technology choices while considering productivity, environmental quality and human well-being,” said Rod Snyder, president of Field to Market.

Field to Market’s new program framework comes with the support and participation of some of the most prominent members of the food and agriculture sector. The membership of Field to Market includes:

Agrium US, Inc.; American Crystal Sugar Company; American Farm Bureau Federation; American Soybean Association; Archer Daniels Midland Company; Bayer CropScience; BASF; Biotechnology Industry Organization; Bunge; Cargill; CHS, Inc.; Conservation Technology Information Center; Cotton Incorporated; CropLife America; CropLife International; Dow AgroSciences; Ducks Unlimited; DuPont Pioneer; Environmental Defense Fund; FleishmanHillard; General Mills; Indiana Soybean Alliance; Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy; International Plant Nutrition Institute; John Deere; Kellogg Company; Land O’Lakes, Inc.; McDonald’s Corporation; Monsanto Company; National Association of Conservation Districts; National Association of Wheat Growers; National Corn Growers Association; National Cotton Council of America; National Potato Council; North Carolina State University; Penton Media; Procter & Gamble; Syngenta Corporation; The Coca-Cola Company; The Fertilizer Institute; The Freshwater Trust; The Mosaic Company; The Nature Conservancy; Thompson Coburn LLP; Unilever; United Soybean Board; University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture; University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences; US Soybean Export Council; USA Rice Federation; USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; Walmart; World Resources Institute; World Wildlife Fund – US.

“Over the next 40 years, the world is facing an unprecedented challenge to produce crops to provide for 9 billion people within the natural limits of our planet,” said Snyder. “The nature of this challenge requires an unusual level of transparency and collaboration, and today’s announcement is a pivotal step in achieving this vision at a necessary scale.”

About The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture

Field to Market^®, the Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, brings together a diverse group of grower organizations, agribusinesses, food, fiber, restaurant and retail companies, conservation groups, universities and agency partners to focus on promoting, defining and measuring the sustainability of food, fiber and fuel production.