NE Extension and Field To Market

Rick Koelsch, Nebraska Extension

Nebraska Extension's recent membership with Field to Market (discussed in an earlier blog) offers faculty a unique opportunity to influence the direction of "Agricultural Sustainability". FTM is a diverse alliance of more than 80 food supply chain businesses, environmental NGOs, commodity associations, and public sector organizations (see https://www.fieldtomarket.org/members/ for complete listing) that have agreed to work together to define the course for "Agricultural Sustainability" in the US.

The knowledge and science of UNL faculty can be influential if we are engaged in FTM's work groups and sub-groups structure. A recent letter from Rod Snyder, Field to Market President, introduced opportunities for representatives of member organization:


"Over the past year, Field to Market has formalized a system of work groups in order to provide transparency in governance and maximum balance and opportunity for engagement across our membership.   ...  With our ambitious programmatic goals and increased workload, each work group has often needed to assign focused tasks to smaller subgroups to achieve outcomes at a faster pace.  As these subgroups have formed, they have drawn upon additional volunteers from across the membership, often identified by proficiency in a particular subject matter. ...  This process ensures continued sector balance at the work group level while providing the agility and expertise to dig deeper into certain issues. "
 

Field to Market has five work groups and many subgroups under these five.  The work groups include:

• Goals and Regional Mapping - set direction for FTM.

• Information, Communications, and Engagement (ICE) - targets engagement with producers.

• Metrics Working Group guides the metrics for key indicators of agricultural sustainability.

• Technology Working Group makes recommendations on Field to Market’s technology needs including the Fieldprint Calculator.   

• Verification Work Group oversee  process for verifying the tools being employed and the  claims being made. 

Two of the work groups are closely connected to our responsibilities within IANR.  The ICE work group smells and sounds like Extension in every aspect. It is an obvious connection we are building with Field to Market.  Metrics work group is drawing upon the science to define the metrics that will be used as indicators of sustainability. Our faculty's science and knowledge is needed as these measures are defined.  In my estimation, the Metrics work group may have the single most profound  impact on how "Agricultural Sustainability" is defined for water, soil, nutrients, greenhouse gases, diversity and other potential indicators. 

One of the real benefits of participating in these work groups is the organizations with which one is interacting.  For example, Charles Shapiro's involvement wiht the Irrigation Water Use Metric Sub-group connects him with Coca-Cola, Freshwater Trust, National Corn Growers Association, Nature Conservancy, Monsanto, and the Fertilizer Institute among others. What a unique opportunity to explore partnerships with groups we may not frequently interact.

I would strongly encourage faculty with a desire to influence the definition of agricultural sustainability in the US to carefully review the current ICE and Metrics work groups and sub-groups roles and current participants found in this link. If you wish to pursue future engagement with Field to Market, visit with Charles Shapiro, Randy Pryor, or myself about initiating that connection.

Nebraska Extension's Sustainability team is planning two important events as part of our contribution to Field to Market.  On September 2, Cargill and Extension are co-hosting " Field to Market: Conversation with Nebraska Stakeholders".  Later this fall, our team is pursuing 10 educators willing to host an educational workshop on the Fieldprint Calculator and its application. Randy Pryor is your point of contact if you might be willing to host one of these educational workshops.

Thanks to the team of Charles Shapiro, Randy Pryor, Gary Zoubek, Gary Lesoing, John Hay and Tyler Williams who are providing the early leadership for Nebraska Extension's connection to Field to Market.  We invite additional faculty to add their expertise to this important alliance to define Agricultural Sustainability.