June 5, 2013

Good decisions start with good information

AgAlert

Paul Wenger, California Farm Bureau Federation President, said "I'm a better farmer, becoming more efficient and increasing productivity in my fields, because of the information I record and utilize when making management decisions -- having a record of what works and what doesn't.".  To participate in the CFBF Labor Survey and read more click here.

June 3, 2013

Almond Environmental Tour shows sustainability in action

Western Farm Press

The Almond Board’s recent environmental stewardship tour provided real-world examples of how almond growers are taking sustainable farming principals and putting them into action in a way that manages resources with an eye toward environmental stewardship and economic viability.

April 22, 2013

Orioles announce Go Green initiatives

Orioles Press Release

Baltimore Orioles announced on Earth Day a series of “Go Green” initiatives for 2013 including supporting the Greener Fields Together Program to focus on advanced sustainability from seed to fork.  Go Orioles!

April 15, 2013

Young almond grower reaps CASP benefits

Bob Curtis, Gabriele Ludwig, Almond Board of California

Through participation in the California Almond Sustainability Program CASP, grower Eric Genzoli has been able to manage the most difficult pest in almonds, the navel orangeworm, through timely winter sanitation, now rarely if ever having to resort to a spray control.  Eric was able to learn about the efficacy of this practice and what other growers were successfully doing to control this pest through the aggregate data gathered from growers through CASP. Click here for full article

March 14, 2013

Consumers Increase Focus on Sourcing, Sustainability

Progressive Grocer

Conscious shoppers are increasing their spend on organics, sourcing food products, seeking out non-GMO and buying sustainable “Farm to Table” food products traceable to local/regional farmers and producers, according to a study conducted by Market LOHAS and laz pr.

 In fact, about 7 in 10 or more healthy consumers sourced brands by reading package labels or in-store signage while more than 6 in 10 visited brand or product websites.

May 15, 2012

Almond growers conduct environmental show and tell for regulators

Vicky Boyd, Editor The Grower

In an effort to educate the regulators about the science and technology they use to make decisions, almond growers opend up their operation to more than two dozen state and federal regulators recently. 

July 5, 2011

Environmental Stewardship Tour Demonstrates Complexities of Sustainable Almond Farming

Almond Board of California

The Almond Board's Environmental Stewardship Tour in May illustrated to regulators, public policy makers and the media how California Almond growers have shifted production practices over time to address environmental issues while improving profitability.

July 1, 2011

Fresh start for pears and for California Pear Advisory Board

Fresh Plaza

California Pear Advisory Board Logo

According to Chris Zanobini, Executive Directory of the California Pear Advisory Board, the 2011 season marks a “fresh start” for the California Pear Advisory Board.

On the sustainability front, “An assessment of our pear farms has verified a very high percentage have adopted innovative and environmentally-friendly farming practices,” said Zanobini.  “In fact, we have a wonderful story to tell about our efforts to achieve sustainability that is important for our customers to know.”

June 6, 2011

Chef's Survey: What's Hot in 2011

National Restaurant Association

National Restaurant Association surveyed its members and identified sustainability and buying local meats and produce as some of the hottest trends for 2011.

April 15, 2011

Defining Sustainable Viticulture from the Practitioner Perspective

Matthew Hoffman, Mark Lubell and Vicken Hillis, University of California Davis

University of California-Davis researchers examined the the definitions of agricultural sustainability by surveying 14 winegrape growers participating in the LodiRules certification program and 108 outreach professionals in the California winegrape community. The researchers used a theme network and statistical analysis to determine the most frequently occuring themes among survey responses. An overriding theme in the definition of sustainability was "continuation through time" meaning, growers think about passing their farms on to the next generation, most likely their children. The next most central themes were "resource stewardship, systems thinking, yield, generational succession, and water quality and conservation" respectively. The scientists make several recommendations, in particular, the need to provide explicit attention to including succession planning in sustainability outreach, education and certification programs.

March 17, 2011

How energy efficient is agriculture?

Cole Gustafson, Biofuels Economist, NDSU Extension Service

Some agricultural commodity groups see market opportunity when buyers like Walmart and their customers are looking for greener products to buy. This Extension economist discusses his work to help farmers assess their energy efficiency and carbon emissions through lifecycle analysis.

July 29, 2010

Del Monte Food Formalizes Environmental Sustainability Goals

Business Wire

Del Monte Foods formally announces its sustainability goals for reducing environmental impact, including work with their growers to "introduce agricultural practices that help farmers grow stronger, more productive crops using less acreage, and with less fertilizer, water and other materials. Today, this focus extends to the Company's manufacturing facilities to reduce its environmental impact from its cannery operations, and to its supply chain to reduce its impact from the sourcing and distribution of goods. At the same time, Del Monte has found that sound environmental practices coincide with improved business efficiencies. Read article.

June 29, 2010

Healthy spuds one step away from organic

Nancy Stohs

As consumers become more concoius of the effects their choices have on the environment, sustainable agriculture is becoming more in demand. With the costs of organic growing high, many farmers are now opting to grow their crops in a sustainable fashion that takes human and environmental factors into account.

June 2, 2010

Self-assessment helps almond growers

Western Farm Press

 

 

Farmers in the Central Valley have found the Almond Sustainability Program to be very effective in analyzing their resource management practices. In particular, the recent sustainability workshops have shown that many farmers could improve the efficiency of their resource use by adopting a few simple modifications to their current practices.

May 26, 2010

Three Stages of Sustainability Leadership

Environmental Leader

There are three steps to environmental leadership when it comes to sustainability. First, a leader must take charge by recognizing the need for action and then persuading others of the cause. Second, a plan to translate the need for change and a vision for the future must be developed so that ideas can morph into actions. Third, a long-term strategy must be developed to synthesize sustainable practices with an effective business model.

May 3, 2010

Rabobank Sustainable Agriculture and Trade Survey 2010

Kaliber Americas

Adoption of sustainable agriculture practices is on the rise, according to Rabobank's Sustainable Agriculture and Trade Survey released in May 2010.

March 15, 2010

How Can a Vineyard be Carbon Neutral?

Cliff Ohmart

Cliff Ohmart, of SureHarvest, explains what a carbon footprint is and how to reduce a vineyard’s carbon footprint.  Ohmart discusses some of the problems with measuring a vineyard’s carbon footprint due to a lack of research in certain aspects of the measurement process.

February 9, 2010

Wisconsin Whole-Farm Potato Growers Make Strides in Conservation and Sustainability

Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association

The Healthy Grown eco-label, overseen by Protected Harvest, is gaining notice as a trustworthy eco-labeling program as consumers and businesses become increasingly skeptical of misleading eco-friendly claims.  The Wisconsin Eco-Potato partnership and the Healthy Grown eco-label work to increase and improve sustainability practices on Wisconsin potato farms.

December 2, 2009

ChalkTalk with Jeff

Sustainability compliance...threat or opportunity?

Food companies are asking SureHarvest, what is Walmart's Sustainability Index all about? Is this just another compliance hoop we have to jump through? Will Walmart pay us more for sustainability? Dr. Jeff Dlott takes on these questions and raises another - Is there value in complying with Walmart's 15 questions?

October 5, 2009

Ecofriendly potatoes take hold in Wisconsin

Jim Offner

The Packer reports the Healthy Grown Potato Program is a collabrative of Wisconsin Poatao and Vegetable Growers Association, the World Wildlife Fund and the University of Wisconsin. Now in it's 13th year, the Healthy Grown Potato program is poised for success in the sustainability market place. Growers are feeling pressure from buyers, such as Sysco and Wal-Mart, who are asking for data. Healthy Grown potato growers who are certified have the advantage of already having that data.

September 18, 2009

Sustainability could expand to help feed the world

Jeff Dlott and Kerry Tucker

Jeff Dlott and Kerry Tucker, both Food Foresight trends panelists, outline the breadth and scope of sustainability initiatives in government, foundations, NGO's and private sector food companies, including Wal-Mart and Safeway in this Sept. 18 editorial in The Packer. They conclude, that with a growing population, there is opportunity for growers to align products to target markets, whether those are commodity or niche markets.

September 1, 2009

Why Sustainability Is Now the Key Driver of Innovation

Ram Nidumolu, C.K. Prahalad, and M.R. Rangaswami

The September 2009 issue of Harvard Business Review includes an article titled "Why Sustainability Is Now the Key Driver of Innovation" that is worth reading. The authors argue that "only companies that make sustainability a goal will achieve competitive advantage. That means rethinking business models as well as products, technologies, and processes." Also included is a 5-stage process of innovation based on sustainability that provides a useful framework for companies considering a sustainability strategy.

August 21, 2009

Selling Sustainability

American/Western Fruit Grower

Being certified is only the first step in marketing sustainability, according to Annie Gardiner, a marketing communications expert, who shares her strategic advice for how to leverage certification to build your brand in this American/Western Fruit Grower magazine article by Laura Dretloff and Annie Gardiner.

August 20, 2009

Consumers Skeptical of Organic, All-Natural Cliams But Still Buy: Study

Progressive Grocer

A recent study issued by Pavone indicates that while consumers are skeptical of organic and all-natural claims, the majority are very interested in purchasing, especially if comparably priced.

July 20, 2009

Walmart's Sustainability Product Index

In July 2009, Walmart announced its Sustainability Index for its product suppliers, including 15 Questions for Suppliers to answer regarding their environmental and social impacts of their production processes.

March 1, 2009

Specialty crops join sustainability trend

California Farmer

Len Richardson of the California Farmer reports on the efforts of the Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops, a group of stakeholders throughout the fruit, vegetable and nut industry working together to develop a comprehensive system for measuring sustainability performance throughout the supply chain.

February 8, 2009

8 out of 10 Consumers Buying Green: Study

Four out of five people say they're still buying green products and services in the midst of a recession -- despite the fact that these items sometimes carry higher costs, according to a new study commissioned by Green Seal and EnviroMedia Social Marketing and conducted by global market research firm Opinion Research Corp.

November 10, 2008

Produce industry leaders discuss sustainability issues, successes

The Packer

Sustainability was a key theme at the PMA Fresh Summit 2008.