Idaho Dairy Supports Producers, 'Smart Wetlands' Battle Hypoxia, Tyson Shares Consumer Insights

Any row-crop farmer or conservationist knows the arrival of spring means it’s time—past time, really—to put the finishing touches on a busy season of field work.

Climate-smart agriculture also has its busy seasons. Right now, organizations across food and agriculture, including ours here at Trust In Food, are hard at work developing project concepts for USDA’s recently announced Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities opportunity. In my role here at Trust In Food, one of the highlights of this process has been visiting with people with far more insight and expertise than myself. These leaders have innovative, creative and farmer-centered ideas for reducing the barriers producers face while helping them on their journey toward a climate-smart future. It’s inspiring to see the commitment of leaders across the value chain to helping farmers and ranchers.

These fresh perspectives help drive innovation. One example of new ideas driving improvement is represented in our lead story about past and future dairy sustainability investments in Idaho. You’ll find my interview with Idaho Dairymen’s Association CEO Rick Naerebout and Dairy West Vice President Of Sustainability Marissa Watson below. I’m grateful to them for taking time out of their busy schedules to share the leadership and vision of Idaho’s dairy producers. Special thanks to our partners at the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy for bringing us together for the conversation!

In that spirit of fresh ideas and productive partnership, I’d also invite you to learn about a new collaboration between our partners at Ducks Unlimited and The Wetlands Initiative to help farmers improve water quality using Smart Wetlands. This topic is of personal interest, as I spent time in my early teens in Colorado volunteering to keep up the small wetland built behind my middle school. These spaces are not only magical to look at but also ecologically vital to the well-being of waterfowl and other creatures that call rural America home.

Whatever you are doing this week — whether preparing for planting, gardening or, regrettably, shoveling the (final?) snow of the season — I hope you are able to reflect on the work we are doing in climate-smart agriculture. The momentum is building, and the opportunities for farmers expand every day. Now it’s up to us to help make those new projects, products, services and support a reality for them.

Until next week,
Nate Birt
Vice President, Trust In Food™

By Nate Birt, vice president, Trust In Food: As Idaho dairy farmers think holistically about sustainability, it becomes a balancing act between the need for strong environmental stewardship with daily priorities including labor availability and positioning their operations to transition to the next generation. This post features how dairy leaders in Idaho are supporting producers with technical tools and peer-learning networks. Get the full audio in this Trust In Food Spotlight Interview.