Truterra and Soil and Water Conservation Society Awarded $1.5M from USDA to Accelerate Adoption of Precision Nutrient Management Practices in Midwestern States

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. and ANKENY, Iowa, Dec. 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Truterra, LLC and the Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) have been awarded $1.5 million in funding from USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to accelerate the adoption of precision nutrient management and soil health practices in partnership with agricultural retailers in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska. Truterra, formerly Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN, is the sustainability solutions business of Land O'Lakes, Inc., one of America's largest farmer-owned cooperatives. SWCS is a nonprofit scientific and educational organization that serves as an advocate for conservation professionals and for science-based conservation practice, programs, and policy.

The joint project between Truterra and SWCS, titled Advancing Precision Nutrient and Soil Health Management with Retailer Cooperatives, will help four agricultural retailers in the Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN network set up innovation trial programs for growers to demonstrate, across three years of crop production, the benefits of a full-system approach to precision agriculture. The trials will use the Truterra™ Insights Engine, a leading on-farm conservation management platform, to help collect and measure findings.

"At Truterra, we know that collaboration drives stewardship. This grant is a monumental step in public-private collaboration supporting on-farm stewardship," said Matt Carstens, senior vice president of Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN. "With the Soil and Water Conservation Society and agricultural retailers, we are working together to build a system of change that seeks to increase and accelerate the rate of stewardship adoption around the country."

Project partners will support agricultural retailers in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska to engage producers in on-farm trials that demonstrate the agronomic, environmental and economic incentives for conservation practice adoption. Through firsthand experience, the project aims to increase producer knowledge of these practices, integrate conservation management programs into retailer services, and broaden and accelerate conservation practice adoption. In addition to administering the program, SWCS will provide scientific support to help evaluate environmental outcomes.

"We are excited for this incredible opportunity to collaborate with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and Truterra to implement on-the-ground conservation activities and evaluate their impact," said SWCS CEO Clare Lindahl. "The Soil and Water Conservation Society's ability to bring together multiple perspectives around the newest research and technologies puts us in a strong position to simultaneously deliver innovative approaches to on-farm conservation and evaluate impact through a scientific lens. We look forward to strengthening public and private sector partnerships in the conservation space for the betterment of our natural resources and the future of agriculture through this project."

The funding is provided through the On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials, a new component of the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) first authorized in the Conservation Title of the 2018 Farm Bill. The improved CIG program is one of many policy changes in the 2018 Farm Bill championed by Land O'Lakes. These policy improvements can help make on-farm conservation practices easier and more accessible to farmers and agricultural retailers.

The program will work with growers to implement a full suite of zone prescriptions, VRT applications, stabilizers, and tillage management in an effort to help enhance both profitability and environmental performance. Cover crops are also be included in the program.

Additional details on the grant and the projects will be released in the coming weeks and months.

About Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN: 
Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN is a leading stewardship solutions provider, advancing and connecting stewardship efforts throughout the food system with scale – from farmers to ag retailers to partners like food companies. Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN positions farmers for success by providing them tools and resources to track progress on every acre they farm. Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN's network brings together the best in agricultural technology and on-farm business management to drive sustainability across the food system, feeding people, safeguarding the planet and supporting farmer livelihoods. Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN was launched in 2016 by Land O'Lakes, Inc., a member-owned cooperative that spans the spectrum from agricultural production to consumer foods. With 2018 annual sales of $15 billion, Land O'Lakes is one of the nation's largest cooperatives, ranking 212 on the Fortune 500. Land O'Lakes, Inc. corporate headquarters are located in Arden Hills, Minn. For more information on Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN, visit www.landolakessustain.com.

About the Soil and Water Conservation Society
For seventy-five years, the Soil and Water Conservation Society has been the premier international organization for professionals who practice and advance the science and art of natural resource conservation. We believe sustainable land and water management is essential to the continued security of the earth and its people. Our goal is to cultivate an organization of informed, dynamic individuals whose contributions create a bright future for agriculture, the environment, and society. The Soil and Water Conservation Society is headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa with chapters across the United States and Canada. For more information, visit www.swcs.org.

Media Contacts:

Abbey Shilling
Land O'Lakes, Inc.
ajshilling@landolakes.com

Catherine DeLong
Soil and Water Conservation Society
catherine.delong@swcs.org 

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SOURCE Land O'Lakes, Inc.