Sustainability by Matt Entwistle

Sustainability
Matt Entwistle
CCA SSP

Sustainability – Meeting the needs of the present while improving the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Sustainability is a word that we hear a lot today, but what does it really mean and how does it affect those of us in the agricultural community? Today more than ever, consumers are demanding to know more about how their food is being produced and where it came from. Is it produced in a way that will assure its safety while also protecting the environment and preserving our precious natural resources? This trend is going to continue and we need to be proactive in our response to it.

In order for us to be proactive in our message we need to know what consumers and other members of the agricultural community are looking for. Sustainability can sometimes be a misunderstood word as many people and organizations use it to describe different versions of agricultural production practices.  Food companies and retail businesses are working towards becoming more sustainable and reinforcing it with publicly stated goals.  These companies have realized that in order for them to achieve their sustainability goals the crop based resources and commodities they purchase also have to use sustainable production practices.

Many of the people who you are working with at Carovail are CCA’s or Certified Crop Advisors. We have taken and passed exams and go to yearly training to keep us current on the latest developments in agronomy. With sustainability becoming such a focus in agriculture the CCA program has added an additional Sustainabilty Specialty certification. This requires an additional exam and more annual training focused specifically on sustainability. The purpose of implementing a Sustainability Specialty is to utilize CCAs to help farmers/producers to become better acquainted with and adopt/enhance/implement sustainability concepts, stewardship, and best management practices within their operations.

If you have questions in regard to sustainability we here at Carovail will be happy to speak with you.