Grower Sector Sustainability Commitments

Goals:

• We work closely with industry partners and lawmakers to identify solutions to ensure the carbon markets are voluntary and economically viable for farmers and ranchers and that they go hand-in-hand with climate-smart practices in place on the farm.
• We support America’s farmers and ranchers, who are leading the way in climate-smart practices that reduce emissions, enrich the soil, and protect our water and air, all while producing more food, fiber and renewable fuel than ever before.

Goals:

• The American Peanut Council (APC) launched its nationwide sustainability initiative in late 2021, supporting America’s peanut industry with metrics on the most efficient use of production resources, as well as encourages farm operation sustainability practices that will help meet customer expectations, lead to increased demand for peanuts and set the stage for long-term economic viability.

Progress:

• The Sustainable U.S. Peanuts (SUSP) program reached 13% of total U.S. peanut acreage enrolled by 2026.
• APC/Peanuts USA sustainability messaging states growers have cut greenhouse gas emissions in half over the last two decades, and that peanuts have the smallest carbon footprint of any nut (3.2 gallons of water per ounce vs. up to 9x more for other nuts).

Goals:

• IAC’s Rege[N]ation seal and pledge, aims to elevate the story of Native American and Alaskan Native agriculture and environmental stewardship while honoring traditional, cultural, and Native-led agricultural wisdom.
• IAC is committed to evaluating annually approved Rege[N]ation participants to review the producers’ effectiveness to replace or eliminate synthetic and industrialized inputs with natural-based methods and/or traditional agricultural practices specific to the Tribal ag producer.
• IAC is committed to reviewing contributions made towards improving the outcomes for land, water, community, and other ecological systems.

Goals:

• Advance Iowa's Nutrient Reduction Strategy targets: a 29% reduction in phosphorus loss and a 45% reduction in nitrogen loss statewide, supported by aspirational implementation benchmarks of 12 million+ acres of cover crops, 120,000 bioreactors/saturated buffers, and 7,000 new wetlands.

Progress:

• Phosphorus loading in Iowa streams is declining approximately 2% per year, and soil erosion is down roughly one-third since 1980.
• No-till acreage is growing by 600,000+ acres per year, and edge-of-field practice installations are accelerating through "Batch and Build" pilots (e.g., 100+ practices installed in Polk County in 18 months).
• Nitrogen reduction progress continues to lag well behind the statewide target.

Goals:

• MFU supports state and federal action to help farmers make their farms and communities more resilient, including by:
  • Expanding voluntary publicly funded conservation programs that incentivize on-the-ground practices, promote soil health, and improve the climate. These programs should:
    • Be easily accessible,
    • Allow participation by early adopters,
    • Prioritize beginning farmers,
    • Help farmers earn equitable payments above implementation costs, and
    • Address economic losses during transition to practices.
  • Fully funding research at land-grant universities to research and scale new crops and practices that can improve farm finances and make them more resilient.
  • Removing the sales tax on fencing equipment, promoting flexibility in conservation programs, and establishing other incentives for grazing.
  • Supporting farmers markets, food hubs, and other direct-market entities in protecting from heat stress and making their operations more sustainable.
  • Creating opportunities for farmers to financially benefit from an energy transition, including cooperative ownership of green fertilizer production.
  • Expanding the use of biofuels, including by moving to higher blends, implementing farmer friendly incentives, and promoting advanced biofuels across the transportation sector.
  • Expanding farm-scale renewable energy through tax credits, cost share incentives, and technical assistance.

Goals:

• Advocate for strong conservation programs and works with growers and USDA to implement them properly.
• Work with coalition partners to help ensure sustainability initiatives work on the farm
• Engage in climate discussions in a constructive manner to represent wheat growers’ interests.

Goals:

• National Farmers Union (NFU), founded in 1902, represents family farmers and ranchers across the country. NFU’s grassroots, member-driven policy supports a farmer-focused approach to addressing climate change, which includes:
  • Expanding incentives for farmers to adopt climate-smart practices that build on-farm resilience and reduce emissions.
  • Increasing funding for voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs and conservation technical assistance.
  • Investing in public research that helps farmers tackle climate change.

Goals:

• The Nebraska Corn Growers Association:
  • Supports the development and recognition of various conservation and production practices that sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Believes ‘regenerative agriculture’ should be defined as using a systems-based perspective. ‘Regenerative agriculture’ sequesters carbon in the soil and intentionally improves soil health, biodiversity, water quality, and air quality while ensuring the economic viability of farm production in order to provide abundant and healthy food products, fuel and fiber. Nebraska Corn Growers Association supports the development and recognition of various conservation and production practices that sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Goals:

• The U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council is committed to contributing to global efforts and the work of its members and international stakeholders to address sustainability challenges in the food, feed, fuel and fiber international supply chains in which the products it represents participate.
• The Council supports the goals established by member and sister organizations representing corn, sorghum and barley products to preserve and reduce impacts on soil, water, air, and ecosystems, and will serve as a bridge and facilitator between national and international stakeholders to help achieve them.
• The Council’s goal is to increase the volumes of sustainably-produced U.S. grains that reach international markets to support global food security, decarbonization in transportation, and the growth of the bioeconomy.

Goals:

• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 13% by 2030.
• Reduce on-farm energy use by 10% by 2030.
• Increase land use efficiency by 10% by 2030.
• Decrease soil loss by 8% by 2030.
• Decrease water use by 13% by 2030.
• Increase biodiversity and habitat creation by 10% by 2030.

Goals:

• U.S. corn farmers are committed to conservation and their role as stewards of the land. Through advances in science, technology and precision equipment, growers are focused more than ever on improving resiliency and efficiency. Building on past achievements, U.S. corn growers are committed to the following sustainability achievements by 2030:
  • Increase land use efficiency by 12%
  • Reduce soil erosion by 13%
  • Increase irrigation water use efficiency by 15%
  • Increase energy use efficiency by 13%
  • Reduce GHG emissions by 13%

Goals:

Under advisory of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, the U.S. cotton industry's 2030 National Goals for Continuous Improvement are currently under development.

Progress:

According to the 2024/25 U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol Annual Report, the industry met or exceeded five out of the six 2025 National Goals for Continuous Improvement compared to a 2015 baseline.

• Land Use Efficiency: 15% improvement; 2025 goal reached a year early.
• Water Use Efficiency: 87% improvement despite drought conditions — producing the same amount of cotton with 47% less water from irrigation.
• Energy Use: 28% reduction.
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions: 25% reduction.
• Soil Loss: 89% reduction; well below USDA thresholds.
• Soil Health: Soil carbon loss reversed, with growers now actively building healthier soils that sequester carbon.
• Yield Impact: Protocol growers produce 20% more cotton per acre than the U.S. average.

Goals:

• Groups representing U.S. soybean farmers—including the United Soybean Board (USB), the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) and the American Soybean Association (ASA)—have outlined sustainability goals for improvements on a key set of metrics. Using 2020 as the benchmark year, by 2030, U.S. soybean farmers aim to:
  • Reduce the land use impact of U.S. Soy by 10 percent (calculated as planted acres per bushel).
  • Reduce soil erosion in U.S. Soy production by 25 percent (calculated as tons of soil loss per acre).
  • Reduce energy use in U.S. Soy production by 10 percent (calculated as BTUs per bushel).
  • Reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated in U.S. Soy production by 5 percent (calculated as pounds of CO₂ equivalent per bushel).