MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 19,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Field to Market: The
Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture® honored the
recipients of its 2024 Sustainability Leadership Awards on the eve
of the 10th Annual Sustainable Agriculture Summit. Now
in their eighth year, the awards—presented as the capstone of the
Alliance's fall meeting—are given to farmers, individuals, and
organizations who have demonstrated outstanding leadership through
their efforts to advance continuous improvement in the
sustainability of U.S. commodity crop production.
The recipients of the 2024 Sustainability Leadership Awards
are as follows:
- 2024 Farmer of the Year: Bob Walker, Yum
Yum, Tennessee
Recognized for outstanding conservation efforts on his farm and
leadership in advancing sustainable agriculture, Bob Walker was honored as Field to Market's 2024
Farmer of the Year. Co-owning and operating Walker Farms in
Yum Yum, Tennessee, Walker and his brother raise cattle
and grow cotton, corn, soybeans, wheat, and hay, most of which is
on land that has been in the family since the 1830s.
With a suite of sustainability practices that include no-till,
cover crops, integrated pest management, variable rate fertility
applications, and variable rate seeding, Walker only puts out what
he needs, when it's needed.
- 2024 Trusted Adviser of the
Year: Christine Bielski, Northern High Plains
Division Manager for Research and Sustainability, Nutrien Ag
Solutions
Recognized for her outstanding leadership in supporting farmers'
journeys of continuous improvement, Christine Bielski was honored as Field to
Market's 2024 Trusted Adviser of the Year.
Reaching approximately 2,000 grower customers annually, both
directly and through her work with her sales teams, Bielski works
across just over 5 million acres in northwest Kansas, northeast Colorado, and southwest Nebraska as the Northern High Plains
Division's Manager for Research and Sustainability at Nutrien Ag
Solutions.
- 2024 Collaboration of the Year: Peninsula
Pride Farms Project
Recognizing outstanding collaboration and cross-sector partnership
in advancing continuous improvement of sustainability at the field
and landscape level, the 2024 Collaboration of the Year Award
honors Field to Market members Farmers for Sustainable Food and
Houston Engineering, Inc., along with Peninsula Pride Farms, for
their work on the Peninsula Pride Farms sustainability
project.
Enrolled in Field to Market's Project Directory, this Innovation
project, located in Wisconsin, has
connected downstream members of the agricultural value chain with
conservation-minded farmers in a local, farmer-led conservation
group to make improvements to water quality and soil health.
Each of this year's award recipients exemplifies how blending
innovative, sustainable and regenerative practices with community-
and collaboration-based approaches to conservation can build a more
resilient and sustainable food system.
"Congratulations to each of our three awardees—their dedication
to innovation and continual improvement is a testament to how
collaborative efforts across the value chain foster resilience for
farmers and the environment," says Field to Market President
Carrie Vollmer-Sanders. "We
applaud Bob Walker, Christine Bielski, and the partners involved in
the Peninsula Pride Farms Project, for their dedication to
advancing the sustainability of U.S. agriculture."
The winners of Field to Market's Sustainability Leadership
Awards are selected by the Alliance's Education and Outreach
Committee. Each recipient demonstrates leadership in the pursuit of
continuous improvement, resulting in measurable results and
significant impact on both agriculture and the environment. This
year's program was made possible thanks to the support of Nestlé
Purina Petcare and Arva Intelligence.
Learn more about the 2024 Sustainability Leadership Award
winners at www.fieldtomarket.org/awards.
ABOUT FIELD TO MARKET
Field to Market: The Alliance
for Sustainable Agriculture® brings together a diverse
group of grower organizations; agribusinesses; food, feed,
beverage, restaurant and retail companies; conservation groups;
universities and public sector partners to focus on defining,
measuring and advancing the sustainability of food, feed, fiber and
fuel production. Field to Market is comprised of nearly 200 members
representing all facets of the U.S. agricultural value chain. For
more information, visit www.fieldtomarket.org.
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SOURCE Field To Market