Key Takeaways From The 2021 Sustainable Ag Summit

How have two weeks already flown by since the Sustainable Ag Summit? It was terrific to see so many friends and colleagues in person in Las Vegas. My colleague Ryan Heiniger shares below of his key takeaways and highlights from the Summit. His perspective – as the director of America’s Conservation Ag Movement and a fourth-generation row-crop farmer in Iowa – is well worth a read.

Speaking of America’s Conservation Ag Movement, we've launched a new resource at the Summit, "Scaling Connected Ag". A major theme in our work has been the importance of digital ag to the future of transparent, regenerative, climate-smart ag. This new report provides a firsthand look at what those on the front lines told us actually works in using data to build more profitable and sustainable businesses. ACAM is comprised of 18 private sector and conservation organization partners that work together with Trust In Food, the Farm Journal Foundation, and the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. They’ve pooled their expertise and shared their wisdom throughout this report.

As we all emerge from our time of giving thanks and reflection, I want to express my deep gratitude for all of you -- the tremendous community of sustainable agriculture that works together to help farmers, ranchers and growers provide food, fiber and fuel for today – and for tomorrow. Thank you!

I hope you’ll save the date to join together with us and others from this community at the annual Trust In Food Symposium – which will be back together in person Feb. 14-16 in fabulous Nashville, Tenn., and virtually Feb 22-23. More details to come, but please mark your calendars now!

A free new resource from America’s Conservation Ag Movement (ACAM) provides sustainability professionals with insights into practical ways to help farmers turn data and technology into business ROI. (And for those blue-ocean thinkers, here’s a hint: Many of these ideas don’t exist at scale today. Yet farmers say they could expedite producers’ willingness to use data and tech for decision-making, which could contribute to more precise ESG reporting.) The report, “Scaling Connected Ag,” is made possible by the Founding Partners of America's Conservation Ag Movement (ACAM) and the members of its Connected Ag Working Group.