OAK BROOK, Ill. – The latest Farm Foundation Forum focused on sustainable agriculture, and included a rice farmer in Arkansas who has made a change in how he grows his crop in an effort to be more environmentally conscientious and a better steward of the land.

“We on our farm this year grew rice in a climate-smart manner,” said Philip “P.J.” Haynie III, who also owns a rice mill in the state. “Traditionally, rice is grown in paddies. We’ve learned through some of the research that has been done that paddy rice and standing water on soil tends to release methane gas. We try to produce it in a more climate-smart way using a row watering method. On our farm this year, 100 percent of our acres (were) row water rice.”

The forum was Dec. 12.

A fifth-generation farmer, Haynie is owner and CEO of Haynie Farms LLC. In addition to rice, he raises corn, wheat, soybeans and canola in four counties in Virginia. He’s also chairman of the National Black Growers Council.

“We talk about sustainability and that was at the core of our footprint on our operation because we farm in a completely non-irrigated platform on the coastal plains of the Chesapeake Bay. Growing up planting double crop soybeans behind wheat was a natural way of life for us to try to make a crop there.”

The mission of the National Black Growers Council is to improve the efficiency, productivity and sustainability of Black row crop farmers, he said. The Council was started after Black row crop farmers realized they had a lot of similar challenges, Haynie added.

Farmers need to be rewarded for the work that they put into their operations and environmental efforts, he noted.

“As a farmer, I’m reminded to let everyone know we do the same amount of work but mother nature holds the cards for us. We can put the same amount of work into cover crops and into sequestering carbon and all that we’re trying to do, but the volatility that we see in weather patterns really changes that. We may put out the same amount of work this year and get half the yield as next year.”

Agriculture is challenged with feeding seven billion people in the world a day, and by the year 2050, that number is projected to jump to nine billion, Haynie said.

“With less and less land, and with more roads and buildings and infrastructure being built, we have to grow more with less. Again, that takes us right back to our method of sustainability. Less land to produce more food, less natural resources, and we’re in an ever-changing climate.”

Trey Malone, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness at the University of Arkansas, talked about a recent global forum on farm policy and innovation in Paris, France.

One topic of conversation was on the needs at the industry level to move sustainability forward in the agri-food system, he said. Participants suggested such ideas as focusing on outcome-based approaches, and a larger focus on global cooperation, Malone added.

There was also a heavy emphasis on economic viability and productivity, he said. 

“For as much as we discuss the importance of sustainability, it is not abundantly clear to consumers and other stakeholders that profitability is a part of this conversation,” he stated.

Earlier this year, Consumer Reports surveyed consumers, asking them which phrases they were familiar with related to regenerative agriculture and sustainable farming, said Sylvia Wulf, chair and CEO of AquaBounty Technologies Inc.

Of the respondents, 72 percent said they were familiar with the term organic farming, while 57 percent had heard of sustainable farming. Nineteen percent were aware of climate-smart farming, and 18 percent were familiar with regenerative farming. Seventeen percent said they had not heard any of the terms.

“So, what is it that we need to do as an industry to engage in that conversation with consumers?” she asked.

The Consumer Reports survey also asked consumers what they think the phrase “sustainable food” means. Participants were given 12 possible responses, plus options to say “none of the above” or “unsure.” Respondents could choose more than one option.

The top response was food is produced without depleting soil, Wulf said. Second was food is produced with a low carbon footprint, followed by food is produced using less water than traditionally produced food.

“(Consumers) really want a purpose-driven purchase strategy for themselves and they want to understand traceability,” she explained. “These are aspects that we really need to work on collectively as an agricultural industry to help consumers understand what regenerative ag and sustainability really mean and the roles that farmers and ranchers are playing in making sure that we bring this to light.”