By Shelby Shank
Field Editor

A new program has been introduced to promote U.S. corn farmers’ sustainability efforts.

The U.S Grains Council (USGC) launched its Corn Sustainability Assurance Protocol (CSAP) in conjunction with its Sustainable Corn Exports (SCE) web platform in February at the International Marketing Conference and Annual Membership Meeting in Georgia.

The farmer-led initiative sets a new standard in sustainable corn production through CSAP. The program aims to provide insights into sustainable farming practices to international corn buyers and exporters.

“Farmers are the stewards of our land, so no one understands the need for preserving the health of our environment better than they do,” USGC President and CEO Ryan LeGrand said. “The CSAP is a recognition of farmers’ extraordinary socioeconomic importance, and a way to further improve the appeal of their products with end-users around the world.”

The SCE web platform will complement the CSAP by making it operational for farmers. The SCE platform helps farmers, exporters and importers of U.S. corn to validate sustainable production practices in international markets.

The SCE is provided at no costs to U.S. corn farmers. The goal of the USGC is to facilitate the continued global trade of U.S. corn by helping international buyers better understand the sustainability of U.S. production practices.

“The CSAP will establish a baseline of sustainability for U.S. corn that will continuously improve as farmers integrate new technologies and tools,” said Carlos Suárez, USGC manager of sustainability, policy and innovation. “Corn farmers work with remarkable efficiency and care for the land, and the CSAP is how we can show their efforts to the rest of the world.”

U.S. corn yields have increased by 88% since 1980, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s statistics service. U.S. corn has also used about 55% less water and energy, according to Field to Market.

U.S. corn farmers are adaptive in their practices to ensure the sustainable production of U.S. corn.

Read more about the CSAP by visiting the SCE website here.