12 September, 2019, London, UK and Arden Hills, Minn., U.S.: Tate & Lyle PLC (Tate & Lyle), a leading global provider of food, beverage and industrial ingredients and solutions, and Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN, the sustainable solutions business of one of America’s largest farmer-owned cooperatives, today announced a major new initiative to help bolster sustainability on 1.5 million acres of U.S.-grown corn.
Using best-in-class technology and sustainability solutions from Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN, U.S. Midwest corn farmers will be helped to more effectively target and measure the impact of efforts to protect the environment.
Tate & Lyle is the first corn wet-milling ingredient supplier to launch a sustainable agriculture programme of this kind, with an acreage scope representing the corn it buys globally each year. The company aims to enable more sustainable farming practices, support its customers’ environmental initiatives and impact reporting, and ultimately increase transparency throughout the food and beverage industry. Through this commitment, Tate & Lyle is able to connect members of the value chain and key stakeholders to drive positive change.
“Corn is our main raw material and we are proud to have the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of U.S. farmers by supporting sustainable agriculture for the equivalent of the entire 1.5 million acres of corn we buy globally each year,” said Nick Hampton, Tate & Lyle CEO. “Through this unique programme, we are demonstrating our purpose of Improving Lives for Generations, helping to protect farmer livelihoods and supporting their work to protect natural resources by encouraging sustainable agriculture best practices."
“As a farmer-owned cooperative, Land O’Lakes knows stewardship starts at the farm gate, with the farmer, and we are excited to launch this landmark effort alongside Tate & Lyle leveraging ag tech to support on-farm sustainability,” said Beth Ford, President and CEO of Land O’Lakes, Inc. “The Truterra Insights Engine is changing the game for sustainability led by farmers and their ag retailers. It’s equipping them with new solutions, customised to every acre to help protect the air, soil and water, maintain a focus on the health of their business, and benchmark their progress in a way that’s meaningful from farmer to fork.”
Under the programme, participating corn farmers in the Midwest will receive customised support through their local agricultural retailer, to help drive measurable improvements in greenhouse gas emission reduction, nitrogen efficiency, water and wind erosion, and soil quality. The Truterra™ Insights Engine, launched last fall by Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN, will support corn farmers in the new programme to make data-informed decisions about their farms, with acre-by-acre insights to drive environmental improvements and help optimise their businesses.
As part of the programme, Tate & Lyle will leverage the technology to access information on the enrolled acreage and have greater visibility of improvements it is helping to drive in air and water quality and soil health, providing a more transparent value chain for its customers.
The new effort announced today builds on a pilot project launched in November 2018 by the two companies, which reached over 300,000 acres of U.S.-grown corn, benchmarking stewardship efforts on farms in Illinois and Indiana.
Notes to Editors
- Under this extended programme, Tate & Lyle has engaged Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN to mobilise its network of agricultural retailers to recruit additional corn farmers in eight U.S. states (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee) to enrol a total 1.5 million acres into Land O’Lakes’ sustainability programme. This is approximately a five-fold increase on the land enrolled during the pilot phase and represents 100% of the corn it buys globally each year on average.
- Agricultural retailers are trusted advisors in farming communities and those committed to this programme will provide additional information and hands on support to participating farmers, enabling them to make meaningful progress in their work to safeguard the environment, building on their achievements to date.
- Farmers will be helped to determine the best actions to take in their fields, for instance around crop rotation or soil nutrient management plans, using Land O’Lakes’ Truterra™ Insights Engine technology, which draws on satellite maps, data from other farming apps, and the results of the weather, soil, and crop simulations.
- For more information on the Truterra™ Insights Engine, visit: www.truterrainsights.com.
Media contact:
Miriam Wilkens, Tate & Lyle PLC, [email protected]
Chuck Lippstreu, Land O’Lakes, Inc., [email protected]
About Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN:
Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN is a leading stewardship solutions provider, advancing and connecting stewardship efforts throughout the food system with scale – from farmers to ag retailers to partners like food companies. Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN positions farmers for success by providing them tools and resources to track progress on every acre they farm. Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN’s network brings together the best in agricultural technology and on-farm business management to drive sustainability across the food system, feeding people, safeguarding the planet and supporting farmer livelihoods. Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN was launched in 2016 by Land O’Lakes, Inc., a member-owned cooperative that spans the spectrum from agricultural production to consumer foods. With 2018 annual sales of $15 billion, Land O'Lakes is one of the nation's largest cooperatives, ranking 212 on the Fortune 500. Land O'Lakes, Inc. corporate headquarters are located in Arden Hills, Minn. For more information on Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN, visit www.landolakessustain.com