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Sustainability

Agtech Raises the Bar for Sustainability Standards

Increased sustainability will drive commodity production in the coming decades, spurred by increasing environmental consciousness among consumers.

From crops to clothes, agricultural products are not exempt from increasing preferences for sustainable brands, starting with a desire by the public to know where products are sourced. Purchasing habits are likely to continue to shift in favor of retailers and suppliers who give a greater account of the contributions they are making toward a cleaner and safer planet.

There are clear moral and economic interests for these stories of sustainability to be told. But like every compelling story, the ag industry must not only tell, but also show by accelerating its shift toward data-driven practices and decisions. Harnessing data requires it to be more readily available, accessible and easy-to-use for producers, distributors and the public alike.

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AgTech Company News Cotton Sustainability

U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol Names Directors and Advisors

The inaugural Board of Directors and Advisors have been named for the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol (Trust Protocol), a new standard developed to help the U.S. cotton production sector further reduce its footprint by enabling producers to assess their performance against specific sustainability goals. Through robust data inputs, the Trust Protocol will add confidence throughout the supply chain – positioning U.S. cotton as the responsible choice for mills and retailers.

Directors representing the raw cotton industry include:

  • Producers – Matt Coley (Georgia); Ted Schneider (Louisiana); Shawn Holladay (Texas); and Aaron Barcellos (California); 
  • Ginner – David Blakemore (Missouri); 
  • Marketing Cooperative – Hank Reichle (Mississippi);
  • Merchant – Steve Dyer (Tennessee);
  • Cottonseed – Fred Serven (Tennessee);
  • Manufacturer – Jim Martin (North Carolina); 
  • Brands/Retailers are Liza Schillo, Levi Strauss & Co., and Joe Little, Tesco;
  • Suzy Friedman, Environmental Defense Fund; Melissa Ho, the World Wildlife Fund; Marty Matlock, the University of Arkansas; and Garry Bell, formerly with Gildan. 

Trust Protocol advisors include:  Jesse Daystar, Cotton Incorporated; Andy Jordan, Jordan Consulting; Marc Lewkowitz, Supima; Mark Pryor, The Seam; and Mike Quinn, Frontier Spinning Mills.

For more information, visit: http://www.cotton.org/news/releases/2019/trusbd.cfm

Categories
AgTech Sustainability

From Dirt to Shirt & Seed to Shelf: The Importance of Sustainability in Every Part of the Supply Chain

From dirt to shirt and seed to shelf, The Seam acknowledges that traceability and transparency in agriculture production is essential to each step in the value chain.

With innovations in agtech and the implementation and adoption of data standards throughout the supply chain, consumers are now able to trace the source of the agricultural products they purchase providing assurance through digital accountability. Technology has become more accessible, capable and affordable, which lowers the barrier to entry for operations to embrace digitization that will ultimately convey their story of continuous improvement in sustainable farming.

WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE?

Essentially, it is the ability to produce enough agricultural products to meet present needs without endangering the environment, public health or economic profitability. If food and ag products are not produced with care, future generations of farming will be at risk. The big idea behind sustainable farming is to minimize one’s environmental footprint and enforce good stewardship of the land and natural resources.

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AgTech Sustainability

From ‘dirt to shirt’ — local tech tracks cotton’s origins to where it ends up

As consumers want to know more about the origin of products, a Memphis organization is using cutting-edge technology to uncover details about one of the Mid-South’s foundational crops: cotton.

In June of this year, The Seam, a provider of trading and technology services to agribusinesses, teamed up with the National Cotton Council — also Memphis based — to roll out a blockchain-based technology that will allow cotton to be traced back to the land where it was grown.

And, the technology can even give details on how the crop was produced.

“There’s an increased need for traceability and transparency in the supply chain,” said Mark Pryor, The Seam’s chairman and CEO. “And in cotton, the brands and the retailers — the Levis and the Brooks Brothers of the world — are demanding more traceable, transparent information throughout the supply chain.”

Read more via the Memphis Business Journal

Categories
AgTech Sustainability

In the Know: Bi-Weekly Agritech Round Up (April 12, 2019)

The world of agritech is changing every day. Check out our bi-weekly round-up to stay in-the-know on the evolving world that is agriculture technology.

Categories
AgTech Sustainability

Where to Invest in Agritech

Whether you are a farmer looking for the latest tools to help your crop production, or a business professional looking for the next leap in innovation, there is no better time to invest in agritech. Agriculture and technology have been melding together over the last decade, and now is the time to make the most of the industry’s growth.

The following solutions have shown tremendous progress, and are not looking to slow down any time soon.

Categories
AgTech Sustainability

Blockchain and Food Safety

Blockchain technology is transforming the agricultural supply chain, and by extension, the entire food industry. Consumers are now able to trace the source of the products they buy, and that means crop producers and manufacturers are held accountable for meeting food safety standards by multiple sources.

But how exactly does blockchain make food safer?

Categories
AgTech Sustainability

In The Know: Bi-Weekly Agritech Round-Up (March 1, 2019)

The world of agritech is changing every day. Check out our bi-weekly round-up to stay in-the-know on the evolving world that is agriculture technology.

Categories
Sustainability

In the Know: Bi-weekly Agritech Round-up (February 15, 2019)

The world of agritech is changing every day. Check out our bi-weekly round-up to stay in-the-know on the evolving world that is agriculture technology.

Categories
Sustainability

In the Know: Bi-weekly Agritech Round-up (February 1, 2019)

The world of agritech is changing every day. Check out our bi-weekly round-up to stay in-the-know on the evolving world that is agriculture technology.