Sustainability is a hot topic and growers have often been put in the hot seat defending their use of the land. But today, sustainability practices can be assessed using the new online Fieldprint Calculator, created by Field to Market, The Keystone Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture.

As the world population explodes, producing food, feed, fuel, and fiber in a sustainable manner throughout the world will be paramount to success. “We’re adding three China’s in our children’s lifetime,” said Marty Matlock, Director of the Center for Agriculture and Rural Sustainability at the University of Arkansas. “Today, the U.S. is top of its game globally.”

This free, confidential calculator, measures several factors including land use, soil loss, energy use and water use. After entering your data, a summary graph in the shape of a “spider” appears –the smaller your spider, the better your sustainability practices.

“This tool will hope us demonstrate how the U.S. measures up when talking about sustainability,” said Doug Goehring, who grows corn, soybeans and wheat in North Dakota. “This tool helps a grower re-affirm how sustainable he is. The feedback is vitally important.”

The Keystone Alliance is asking growers to test out the Fieldprint Calculator and offer feedback before its anticipated full-scale launch on March 15. You can visit them at Commodity Classic in booth 718. You can also sign up online by visiting www.fieldtomarket.org.  

Watch a video of Doug demonstrating the Fieldprint calculator here:

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