As I write this, I’m sitting on an airplane returning to Texas from Chicago, where I was attending a summit on land-use change in agriculture. With all the recent discussions on U.S. ag competitiveness relative to Brazil, it’s a hot topic. Today, more than ever, how we’re using land and our impact on the environment around us is a key competitive strength for U.S. agriculture. 

Last week, I attended a similarly timely event hosted by America’s Conservation Ag Movement in D.C. The meeting focused on conversations around ag, and what we’re doing to ensure the sustainability of the environment and farm family legacies. Note, I said conversations. In my opinion, ag too often focuses on telling our story. However, that implies one-way communication. It’s essential to talk with our customers rather than talk at them. 

The common thread with both gatherings was the importance of partnerships in the sustainability discussion. Just as sustainability can’t be focused on one-size-fits-all solutions, it can’t occur in a vacuum.

The summit in Chicago was incredibly diverse, bringing together farmers, academics, wildlife organizations, ag associations and global agribusinesses. The event in D.C. was not only diverse in attendance but also had diversity in the types of farmers represented. Sitting next to the Central Plains cow-calf producer was the northeastern cow-calf and row crop producer who’s also producing maple syrup and marketing it farm to table. It doesn’t get more diverse than that.

These diverse partnerships are important for a couple of reasons. First, as I said, sustainability doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It takes the entire supply chain pulling in the same direction. For example, I can tell a farmer to adopt a water-friendly rotation to save water all day, but until the market starts sending that signal, the farmer will keep pumping the same amount of water he or she always has, and no water will be saved. It takes the entire supply chain optimizing for lower water use to actually save water. 

Second, our customers are incredibly diverse. How do we relate to them and meet their needs if we can’t walk a mile in their shoes? We can’t. Thus, we have to roll up our sleeves and get in the trenches with them to understand what they’re dealing with daily, and what their needs are. The only way to do that is through partnerships. 

The road to sustainable agriculture is paved with collaboration and mutual understanding. By fostering diverse partnerships, we can ensure that every link in the supply chain is working towards common goals, ultimately leading to a more resilient and competitive agricultural sector. 

Duff is founder of Sero Ag Strategies and serves as a consultant to National Sorghum Producers. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @sorghumduff.