Farmer-leaders of the National Corn Growers Association have set five environmental national efficiency goals to enhance corn production sustainability in the U.S. by 2030.
NCGA on Tuesday released its U.S. Corn Sustainability Report, which documents a long history of continuous improvement by U.S. corn farmers.
NCGA President John Linder tells IARN that the five goals in the report are: increase land-use efficiency by 12 percent, increase irrigation water use efficiency by 15 percent, reduce soil erosion by 13 percent, increase energy use efficiency by 13 percent, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 13 percent.
?We put together a Corn Sustainability Advisory Group,? said Linder. ?Those folks really dove in and said we have a great story to tell. The line is up from here. Practices, technology and innovation has driven us to be more sustainable in our production as it stands, but then they asked each other where we go from here. They came up with some really good goals which is what we?re talking about here today.?
Linder says the release of both the report and the sustainability goals is the culmination of an 18-month, farmer-led process, and that these goals set targets for further progress over the next decade.
NCGA is holding an open comment period for farmers, customers and others to provide feedback on the report and sustainability goals. To learn more, visit ncga.com/sustainability.
