NCGA’s Program Roadmap: A Pocket Guide to Sustainability

The Agricultural Nutrient Policy Council (ANPC) was formed in 2010 in direct response to two EPA actions: 1) the attempted imposition of EPA-developed Clean Water Act (CWA) Numeric Nutrient Criteria (NNC) for Florida’s lakes and flowing waters; and 2) EPA’s Chesapeake Bay CWA Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) covering portions of six states in the watershed and the District of Columbia.      Since that work, ANPC has helped agriculture successfully engage on numerous issues important to farming, ranching, nutrients and water quality involving the policies and programming of the CWA and the Farm Bill’s Conservation Title, as well as other federal authorities. ANPC’s purpose was, and continues to be, helping agricultural trade associations and businesses quickly assemble outside legal, technical and policy expertise on federal matters related to nutrients and water quality.    Sound nutrient management to support profitable agricultural operations while reducing nutrient losses is...

Our Corn Sustainability Advisory Group (CSAG) is working toward a corn sector-driven sustainability plan. The CSAG is addressing elements of the NCGA strategic plan including growing demand, building trust and driving sustainability. CSAG advises the NCGA Board on sustainability issues, areas for strengthening, practices to be promoted and avenues for support, and ways to integrate sustainability more fully as part of the corn story.   The advisory group includes grower representatives from the Ethanol, Market Development, Member & Consumer Engagement, Sustainable Ag Research and Stewardship Action Teams; 2 state staff and the 5 national staff leads for each of the five Action Teams, for a total of 17 members, plus an ex—officio member from the NCGA Corn Board.   Alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:   2.4 By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production,...

Farmers for Soil Health (FSH) is a partnership between the United Soybean Board, National Corn Growers Association and National Pork Board to advance the use of soil health practices – especially cover crops – on corn and soybean farms.  The initiative has a goal of doubling the number of corn and soybean acres using cover crops to 30 million acres by 2030.  The alliance between USB, NCGA and NPB is farmer-led, farmer-driven and farmer funded to support growers and ensure they have the tools and resources to promote continuous improvement and conservation.   Alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:   2.4 By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality. 12.2 By...

NCGA is a key partner in this alliance that seeks to unite agricultural supply chain and key stakeholders around a common measurement framework in order to track and drive sustainability in corn production. Retailers, suppliers and farmers measure environmental impacts to identify positive change but also identify new opportunities to conserve soil, improve water use and quality and reduce energy use.   Alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:   2.4 By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality. 12.2 By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources. 15.1 By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of...

The Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance (FACA) consists of organizations representing farmers, ranchers, forest owners, agribusinesses, manufacturers, the food and innovation sector, state governments, sportsmen, and environmental advocates. These groups have broken through historical barriers to develop and promote shared climate policy priorities across the entire agriculture, food and forestry value chains.     FACA’s policy recommendations include:  Providing voluntary, incentive-based tools for farmers, ranchers and forest owners to maximize the sequestration of carbon and the reduction of other greenhouse gas emissions, as well as increase the resilience of the land.  Supporting the development and oversight of private sector markets for GHG credits.  Promoting public and private sector tools to incentivize farmers, ranchers and forest owners to prioritize and scale climate-smart practices.  Offering incentives for farmers to reduce energy consumption, increase use...

The life cycle assessment (LCA) of corn production across the United States with the intent of capturing potential differences in environmental sustainability metrics associated with different regional production practices and to provide an estimate of a national aggregated suite of environmental impact metrics.   Alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:   12.2 By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.  

The purpose of this MOU is to build upon the established general framework for cooperation between NPB, USB and NCGA on mutually beneficial sustainability research, including completed, current and planned research and communications.  "Sustainability Research" is research directly related to environmental sustainability indicators of carbon (greenhouse gases), water use, land use, water quality, and soil health. The key goal for communications is to increase the education, capacity, and motivation of farmers to adopt conservation measures that deliver benefits to the environment and to farm resilience and profitability.   Alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:   2.4 By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters...

The National Corn Growers Association and Environmental Defense Fund launched the Success in Stewardship Network to celebrate and accelerate the use of agricultural conservation practices on U.S. corn farms. Rather than focusing on early adapters, this effort focuses on the mass of farmers in the middle who are also conservation leaders and the state corn grower association programs assisting them. The mission is to recognize farmers more broadly for their efforts to stay productive and profitable, and manage the challenges of climate change, all while accelerating sustainable farming practices.   Alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:   2.4 By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters and that progressively...

The Water Quality Working Group was started in 2016 at the request of executives of corn grower associations from several states dealing with agricultural fertilizer use and water quality policy.  Several states were facing acute and serious threats of state water quality policy mandates in one form or another that would regulate corn farmers' use of nutrients.  Many were facing significant pressure to ramp up such regulatory measures.  We have since expanded the group and all state water quality staff are invited to two meetings a year where we bring experts in to talk about hot topics around water quality, sustainability, conservation and climate change.  Attendees share what rules, regulations, and pressures they are facing in their states, programs they are having success with and how they are engaging their growers in times of pressure.   Alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:   2.4 By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and...