Last week, the U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC’s) Corn Sustainability Assurance Protocol (CSAP) Version 1.1 achieved Gold Level Equivalence against The Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform’s (SAI Platform) Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) 3.0 – the highest possible equivalence level.
The CSAP is a farmer-led initiative that highlights the strong institutional sustainability foundations underpinning U.S. agriculture, as well as the traditional and innovative techniques that U.S. corn producers are adopting daily.
The 1.1 version of the CSAP incorporates new language, further expanding the assurances of the sustainability of U.S. corn production across the various impact categories assessed in the benchmarking process.
“U.S. corn production has always been anchored to the strong foundations of the U.S. agricultural system, which includes numerous incentives for producers to implement conservation practices, as well as strict and enforceable regulations that ensure natural resources are protected and preserved,” said USGC President and CEO Ryan LeGrand. “The CSAP captures the full scope of these assurances in corn production, and we are now glad to see them recognized through the achievement of gold-level equivalency against SAI Platform’s Farm Sustainability Assessment.”
The SAI Platform’s FSA is a globally recognized framework and toolset aimed at promoting the continuous improvement of on-farm sustainability practices. FSA 3.0 empowers farmers and the broader agricultural value chain to demonstrate sustainability and identify opportunities for continuous improvement, ensuring alignment with the objectives of the FSA. More than 100 programs across five continents have been benchmarked against the FSA.
This benchmark will support Council agricultural business members and their clients who use the CSAP and the Sustainable Corn Exports (SCE) web platform to produce records of sustainability for U.S. corn and other corn-product exports requested by international trading partners and end-users.
“USGC’s CSAP offers immense value and opportunity for promoting sustainability among U.S. corn growers. I would like to congratulate USGC on achieving the highest level of equivalence against the FSA. This firmly underlines the organization’s level of ambition in the pursuit of a more sustainable and responsible future for farming,” said Joe Iveson, FSA manager.
About The U.S. Grains Council
The U.S. Grains Council develops export markets for U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products including distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and ethanol. With full-time presence in 28 locations, the Council operates programs in more than 50 countries and the European Union. The Council believes exports are vital to global economic development and to U.S. agriculture’s profitability. Detailed information about the Council and its programs is online at www.grains.org.