Eight Statistics That Prove U.S. Soybean Farmers are Sustainable

Chesterfield, Missouri (July 14, 2015)–For soybean farmers, sustainability isn’t a buzzword; it’s a way of life. Farmers were green before it was even a movement. From crop rotation and reduced tillage to nutrient and water management, every day is an ongoing commitment to the land and resources.

U.S. soybean farmers are committed to continuous improvement – making sure the land that they farm now is prosperous for years to come. Here are just a few of the sustainable practices soybean farmers are already using day after day, year after year.

Crop rotation
• Ninety-four percent of soybean acres are under planned rotation sequences and continuous plantings, contributing to increased biodiversity.1

Water management
• Ninety-four percent of U.S. farmland is non-irrigated.2
• Seventy-five percent of sediment is removed by conservation buffers, improving water quality.3

Reduced tillage
• Seventy percent of U.S. soybean acres use conservation tillage.4

Pest management
• Ninety-five percent of U.S. soybean farmers personally scout their fields each season to manage pests.5
• Farmers have reduced herbicide runoff by 70 percent, which helps to keep the water supply healthy.6

Nutrient management
• Ninety-two percent of U.S. soybean farmers have tested their soil to maintain proper nutrient levels.7
Conservation
• Ten percent of U.S. farmland is taken out of production to protect sensitive areas.8
Check out more on sustainability and what farmers across the country are doing to continuously improve on their farms. Visit www.SustainableSoy.com.

1-USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) www.ers.usda.gov
2- USDA Ag Census 2012
3- USDA Water Quality Information Center
4- USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) www.nass.usda.gov
5- Best Practices Report, United Soybean Board, October 2014
6-Comparative Environmental Impacts of Biotechnology-derived and Traditional Soybean, Corn, and Cotton Crops, accessed January 6, 2014, Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, www.cast-science.org
7- Best Practices Report, United Soybean Board, October 2014
8- USDA FSA

This post originally appeared as a United Soybean Press Release.