ARDEN HILLS, Minn. (May 24, 2018) – Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN, a business unit of Land O’Lakes, is was recognized last night for its on-farm water quality and conservation work at this year’s Environmental Initiative Awards. The awards program, hosted by the nonprofit Environmental Initiative, annually honors innovative projects that have achieved extraordinary environmental, economic, and public health outcomes by harnessing the power of partnership. The partnership is being recognized in the Sustainable Leadership: Large Business category.

Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN focuses on driving on-farm improvements, protecting natural resources and helping to ensure the health and productivity of every acre for every farmer. Based on current farming practices and business goals and in partnership with ag realtors, Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN works with farmers to identify customized approaches best suited for each farm to increase productivity and profitability potential while also improving the quality of each farm’s soil, water and air resources.

Some examples of these beneficial practices include: nutrient management, split applying and in-season management of fertilizer application, strip-till and no-till, use of nitrogen stabilizers and planting of cover crops.

Through advisement, engagement, exploration of cost-share opportunities and data collection, farmers are able to get what they need in order to improve profitability and conservation efforts and become certified. Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN additionally equips farmers with access to precision, cutting edge technology, like SoilVantage and Agren ® BufferBuilder.

“Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN was founded on the idea that the best, most effective conservation starts on the farm. However, the scale and complexity of the food supply chain is such that only when farmers, companies, conservation groups and government unite can we truly achieve our goals – to preserve and protect land and water for future generations, while feeding a growing world and keeping farm families and communities strong,” said Matt Carstens, senior vice president of Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN.

Currently working in the Cedar River Watershed District, Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN is also the first private entity to work with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to help farmers get certified in the he Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP).

Current Cedar River project partners include Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN, the Central Farm Services (CFS) Cooperative, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Mower County Soil and Water Conservation District and Hormel Foods Corporation.

“Land O’Lakes is honored to be recognized by Environmental Initiative for our work with partners across the public and private sectors to improve water quality in the Cedar River Watershed. We look forward to scaling and replicating the success of this public-private partnership in other areas of Minnesota and across the country,” said Carstens.

“Through the work of this project and partnership, Land O’Lakes, CFS, and farmers are creating a model for success that can be replicated throughout the country. The unlikely allies present in this partnership is, without a doubt, groundbreaking.” said Mike Harley, executive director of Environmental Initiative.

To read more about Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN, visit http://www.sustain.ag.

About the Environmental Initiative Awards
Environmental Initiative is a nonprofit organization that builds partnerships with business, government and nonprofit leaders to develop collaborative solutions to Minnesota’s environmental problems. The organization has honored collaborative environmental projects through their annual awards program since 1994. www.environmental-initiative.org