VARIED COMMODITY CHECKOFF DOLLARS COLLABORATING ON SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS

Tricia Braid

Nov 14, 2018  |  Today's News

Three commodity promotion and research boards are joining forces to advance producer sustainability efforts across agriculture. The National Corn Growers Association, the National Pork Board, and the United Soybean Board recently celebrated a memorandum of understanding designed to formalize collaboration and alignment among their checkoff-funded efforts relating to the broad topic of sustainability. This research program will include the sharing of completed research, coordination on current and planned research, and define ways to share and communicate results with each organization’s members. This effort is very similar to the highly successful and broadly recognized state-level Illinois Farm Families collaborative effort that has been underway for a decade, leveraging checkoff dollars from IL Corn along with the pork, beef, soy, and dairy checkoffs, with additional support from the farm bureau.

 

Leadership from the three national commodity groups agree that it is prudent to consider specific ways in which they might work together more effectively to ensure alignment and collaboration in sustainability research and how the results can and will be communicated and shared. This reflects the overarching goal of proactive, continuous improvement as a shared focus among pork, soybean and corn farmers.

 

Through combined communications efforts and outreach, the organizations can increase the education, capacity, and motivation of pig and grain farmers to adopt conservation measures that deliver benefits to the environment and to farm resilience and profitability.

 

A task force of farmer representatives from NPB, USB, and NCGA will be formed and, with support from each organization, will be responsible for managing and evaluating the activities outlined in the MOU. Additionally, the task force will track progress and evaluate the value and impact of the MOU upon completion of all activities.