Agricultural News
Monsanto's Vision of Sustainability Offers Opportunity to Redefine Society's Perception of Agriculture
Tue, 29 Nov 2016 17:43:07 CST
Agriculture has come under increased pressure over recent years to apply better controls and transparency internally and ultimately increase the industry's level of sustainability. Consumer interest in the way food is produced and the environmental impacts of the products they choose to buy has never been at the level we see it at today, says Dion McBay of Monsanto, who leads the seed company's global sustainable development team. Associate Farm Director Carson Horn recently visited with McBay about where he sees sustainability in agriculture going and what role Monsanto is playing in that vision.
"Sustainability is fundamentally what we do in agriculture. It's part of what farmers have always done," McBay said. "I believe any farmer that you spend time visiting with would tell you that he views it as his job to care for the land and manage it in a way that makes the absolute most with the least impact on the environment possible."
McBay describes this as a very exciting time in agriculture where modern innovations are coming together in a way that allows farmers to do so much more with less, increasing their overall productivity and at the same time, their sustainability as well.
"Practices like no-till and reduced tillage, the use of cover crops, precision nutrient management and even the decisions that farmers are making with data science today are allowing them to make better data-based decisions that are more optimized, more efficient for the farmer," McBay said. "We're helping farmers though providing a number of tools, but ultimately we believe sustainability is a partnership that we're in together."
In the end, McBay insists the work of farmers utilizing sustainable methods, will in the years to come redefine for many, their perception of agriculture as the sustainable force for all of society.
"The world's population is growing rapidly and the challenge is on us to secure food for that growing population," McBay said. "As we do it, we have to do it in the most sustainable way as possible."
Listen to Horn's complete conversation over sustainability with McBay, by clicking or tapping the LISTEN BAR below.
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