Agricultural groups, long on the defense about farming practices, have taken a new tactic to address issues of sustainability and impact of farming on the environment.

The Minnesota Corn Growers Association recently announced an initiative for its 25,000 members that would make Minnesota corn farmers “the most sustainable and environmentally responsible in the United States.”

Within days of that announcement, six national farm organizations sent a letter to a food manufacturer denouncing the manufacturer’s decision to transition to purchasing milk from cattle no longer fed genetically engineered crops.

ALREADY SUSTAINABLE: Farmer-leaders of six national farm organizations wrote a letter to global yogurt maker Dannon, saying the company's strategy to eliminate genetically engineered organisms is the opposite of the sustainable agriculture it claims to seek.

MCGA decided to encourage all its members to work on sustainable and environmental management practices to combat negative views often presented in news and some social media.

“Farmers have had to be on the defensive because some urban consumers, environmentalists and politicians view us in a negative light,” says Harold Wolle, MCGA president, who farms near St. James. “We want to be seen in a positive light. Maybe we need to work harder on that.”

Wolle notes the MCGA initiative is a lofty goal, yet many corn growers are already making efforts to achieve and maintain it.

The plan calls on Minnesota corn farmers to engage in sustainability programs and implement on-farm best management practices that fit their farms. It also expands a new MCGA grant program focused on conservation, calls for greater investment in developing new uses for corn and seeks to grow partnerships with outside organizations.

Examples of sustainable and conservation action steps for farmers include participation in the voluntary Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program; adopting the best management practices detailed in the University of Minnesota’s nitrogen fertilizer use guidelines; and completing the online farm self-assessment program, Green Star Farms Initiative, offered by the Minnesota Ag Water Resource Center.

MCGA’s Innovation Grant program offers funds to help farmers test an idea or practice on their farms with the specific goal to reduce nitrate loss, improve soil health and protect groundwater quality. Grant proposals are due Dec. 15 for this program.

Anti-biotech gone too far

Farmer-leaders of the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association, American Sugarbeet Growers Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Milk Producers Federation and U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance decided that a recent decision by Dannon had gone too far.

Dannon officials said last April that the company would use more natural ingredients that are not synthetic and not genetically engineered. Specifically, Dannon officials said the company, starting in 2017 and concluding in 2018, would ensure that its milk supply came from cows that were fed non-genetically engineered feed. The company noted in a press release that this would be a marketing first for a global nonorganic yogurt maker.

The farm groups’ letter to Dannon said that the company's strategy to eliminate genetically engineered organisms "is the exact opposite of the sustainable agriculture that you claim to be seeking. Your pledge would force farmers to abandon safe, sustainable farming practices that have enhanced farm productivity over the last 20 years while greatly reducing the carbon footprint of American agriculture."

Randy Mooney, chairman of the National Milk Producers Federation and a Missouri dairy farmer, called Dannon’s decision “marketing puffery.”

The farm groups said that biotechnology plays an important role in reducing the environmental footprint of agriculture, and challenged Dannon’s assertion that sustainability is enhanced by stopping the use of biotechnology.

"Farming organizations are standing up for the technology that supports continuous improvement in farm sustainability. Farmers and ranchers have grown GMO crops over the past 20 years precisely because biotechnology helps farmers preserve resources for the future," says Nancy Kavazanjian, chairwoman of U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance and a corn, soybean and wheat farmer in Beaver Dam, Wis. "When food companies are making sourcing decisions, farm groups encourage them to recognize that modern, conventional agriculture is sustainable."

The alliance pointed out that numerous studies over the last two decades have proven the safety and environmental benefits of genetically engineered crops. Recently, 109 Nobel laureates announced their support of GMO technology, citing a study from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, saying, "The study committee found no substantiated evidence of a difference in risks to human health between current commercially available genetically engineered crops and conventionally bred crops, nor did it ?nd conclusive cause-and-effect evidence of environmental problems from the GE crops."

For information on Green Star Farms Initiative, visit greenstarfarms.org.

For information on the state’s ag water certification program, visit mda.state.mn.us/awqcp.

For information on sustainability in agriculture, visit fooddialogues.com.