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Field to Market members gather at NC State to discuss sustainability for U.S. commodity crops

Field to Market, the Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, met at NC State University’s Centennial Campus in Raleigh, N.C., in November 2013, to continue their discussions about how to promote sustainability for U.S. commodity crops. 

Attending the meeting were 75 members of this diverse alliance of 50-plus companies and organizations that represent every segment of the U.S. food value chain, including numerous producer organizations and several of the world’s most visible and effective conservation organizations.

“Great things can be accomplished by participating with organizations like Field to Market, a collaboration among organizations with disparate interests whose members work collectively to apply scientific discoveries and help address society’s challenges,” said Dr. Terri Lomax, vice chancellor for Research, Innovation and Economic Development at NC State. “In Field to Market’s case, that challenge is to increase agricultural productivity in sustainable ways that result in healthy, nutritious, and affordable foods,” she said.

NC State is one of only three universities that are full Field to Market members; the others are the University of Arkansas and the University of Wisconsin.

With support from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center and NC State’s Office of Research, Innovation and Economic Development, the meeting was hosted by NC State’s Poole College of Management and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), whose deans, Dr. Ira Weiss and Dr. Richard Linton, respectively, welcomed Field to Market members during a luncheon prior to their business meeting at NC State’s Park Alumni Center. 

NC State scientists have participated in Field to Market for three years and were heavily involved in dialogue and the development of Field to Market’s biodiversity metrics. Results of a related project – Vertebrate biodiversity in agricultural landscapes: predicting impacts of alternative row crop production strategies – was recently posted as Technical Bulletin 334 of the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service. 

Photo of Jacob Traverse, NCBC and NC State Jenkins MBA alumnusNorth Carolina is today a leader in many areas of the global food production value chain,” says Jacob Traverse, director of AgBiotech Enterprise and Technology Development at the NC Biotechnology Center and an alumn of NC State’s Jenkins MBA program.

“Our state represents one of the strongest agricultural biotechnology sectors in the nation, home to the global headquarters of multiple leading seed and plant protection companies, to being the nation’s largest producer of sweet potatoes and turkeys, and the second largest producer of pork in the US,” Traverse said. “The Field to Market event is in part a reflection of the important role North Carolina plays in feeding, clothing, and fueling the world.”

“Working with Field to Market’s member companies, NGOs, other organizations and stakeholders offers NC State insight into corporate perspectives on sustainability, the latest agricultural trends and access to consumer companies,” said Jessica Thomas, director of the Sustainability Initiative in Poole College.

In Photo (Top of Page)

Left to right: Erica Shoe, manager, agriculture and turf public affairs, John Deere; Dr. Richard Linton, dean, NC State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Dr. Ira Weiss, dean, NC State Poole College of Management; Jessica Thomas, director, Poole College Sustainability Initiative; and Alyson Emanuel, vice president, market management, North America, BASF.

About Field to Market

Recently incorporated as a 501(c)3 organization, Field to Market  provides collaborative leadership that is engaged in industry-wide dialogue, grounded in science, and open to the full range of technology choices.  Field to Market brings together a diverse group of grower organizations; agribusinesses; food, fiber, restaurant and retail companies; conservation groups; universities and agency partners to focus on promoting, defining and measuring the sustainability of food, fiber and fuel production. It is best known for its ability to foster productive dialogue among groups with disparate and potentially conflicting interests. Field to Market is currently managed by The Keystone Center

About Sustainability at NC State University

Sustainability is integrated throughout NC State, engaging with sustainability partners in numerous offices and research units across the university. The Campus Environmental Sustainability Team (CEST), established in 2009, supports campus-wide sustainability activities through strategic planning, monitoring, communication, and accountability. CEST working groups include academics and research, community and culture, buildings, energy and water, land use, materials and purchasing, transportation, and waste reduction and recycling. Sustainability related research is underway throughout the university, including in Poole College, which established a Sustainability Initiative in August 2013; the Center for Environmental Farming Systems; the FREEDM Center; Environmental Science Program; NC Solar Center; Southeast Climate Science Center; State Climate Office of North Carolina; and the Water Resources Research Institute, among others. Poole College established the Sustainability Initiative in 2013 advance sustainability as a set of decision challenges balancing financial, social and environmental returns. By engaging students, faculty, businesses and alumni, SI seeks to embed sustainability into our curriculum, research, and college culture and to identify opportunities and resources for meeting those challenges.