Premier Ag Partners With Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN to Support Farmers in Continuous Agronomic Improvement

Premier Ag announced today it has partnered with Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN^TM to support area farmers in implementing precision conservation and innovative agronomic practices to document continuous improvement in adoption of stewardship practices, products and technologies.

“Conversation Agronomy by SUSTAIN enables Premier Ag to bring farmer-customers a suite of agronomic tools and conservation practices they can adapt on their farm as they make the best decisions for the long-term productivity and sustainability of their acres,” said Scott Sharp, VP of Plant Food and Operations.

“Most major food companies today want to assure consumers that the grain and other ingredients in their products are being produced in a sustainable manner, from the farm to the grocery shelf,” said Matt Carstens, senior vice president for Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN. “As a farmer-owned company, Land O’Lakes wants to lead the way in helping growers and dairy producers sensibly meet this emerging demand for sustainable crop and livestock production. Conservation Agronomy by SUSTAIN does just that. Through local ag retailers like Premier Ag, farmers have access to the expertise and technology to apply precision agronomic and conservation techniques, and to measure the continuous improvement this Conservation Agronomy platform brings to the productivity and environmental quality of their resources.”

SUSTAIN offers Premier Ag a platform for discussions with farmers about soil health, efficient fertility management and a range of production enhancements to improve yields, crop quality and effectively manage crop nutrients and other inputs.

Premier Ag will use a data management system to help growers monitor improvements in soil health, fertility, runoff, erosion management and other measures that contribute to sustainable farming. Data collected by the grower and Premier Ag will be aggregated anonymously with acres across the Land O’ Lakes ag retail system. This collective data set will be useful to food companies who track the sustainability of their food supply chain to meet consumer demand.

“We believe this system for monitoring continuous improvement at the farm level and through our grain marketing system will help our farmers and the Land O’Lakes farmer-owned system, remain a preferred supplier for food companies who value sustainable farming practices,” Sharp said.

“Amid all the conversations we hear about sustainability, we know it is the grower who is the cornerstone of authentic sustainability. We chose to participate in Conservation Agronomy by SUSTAIN because Land O’Lakes shares this viewpoint and now has developed a program we will use to help our farmer-members keep their businesses and their land productive for the long term, which keeps our rural communities strong and resilient. Most of our growers are no strangers to conversation agronomy, and SUSTAIN now offers an opportunity to use the leadership of Land O’Lakes in the food industry to help our farmers get credit for the good work they are doing in producing quality crops, protecting the environment and feeding the world.”

Land O’Lakes has partnered with WinField^® United’s network of ag retailers to deliver the Conservation Agronomy by SUSTAIN platform to growers. Collectively, WinField United ag retailers have relationships with farmers spanning 45 million acres across the grain-producing areas of the United States and Canada.

To learn more about SUSTAIN, visit www.landolakessustain.com.