(NAFB) – More and more customers of American agriculture want to source environmentally sustainable food and ingredients. That means manufacturers have to reevaluate their supply chains.

Sustainability and continuous improvement on today’s farms form the foundation for meeting those needs. To make that happen at the farm level, the United Soybean Board, National Corn Growers Association, and the National Pork Board signed a partnership agreement with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. That agreement led to a $1 million grant to the new Farmers for Soil Health Initiative.

“As front-line environmental stewards, this effort will only increase sustainability advancements that farmers have implemented for generations while increasing carbon storage in soils sequestered by cover crops,” says Ralph Lott, USB Chair. The soil health initiative will use the grant to support farmers as they increase the use of cover crops and other conservation practices in a sustainable energy and protein system that meets the needs of customers.