New York, New York
April 20, 2009
U.S. farmers claim high
awareness, involvement in sustainable agriculture
With Earth Day around the corner,
Rabobank found that
nearly 70 percent of the U.S. farmers and ranchers surveyed have
taken steps toward implementing sustainable agricultural
practices.
"Sustainability is an increasing priority among consumers as
well as for many areas of industry and commerce, and this survey
shows that U.S. farmers and ranchers share that view," said John
Ryan, president and CEO for Rabo AgriFinance. "Sustainable
agricultural practices are the cornerstone of long-term strategy
for success."
According to
Rabobank Farm & Ranch Survey, three out of every four U.S.
farmers are aware of sustainable practices, and most have used
direct seeding, minimized the use of chemicals or employed crop
rotation.
"For our farmers and ranchers in California, the use of
alternative energy sources can be a matter of survival. Energy
and water resources are limited and costly, so the development
and employment of sustainable energy sources in agriculture is a
smart business practice as well as beneficial to the
environment," said Aitor Ezcurra, Executive Vice President and
Head of Commercial Banking for Rabobank, N.A.
Additionally, the Rabobank survey found:
- In the North Central and
South regions, higher-revenue farms (more than $1 million
annually) have taken steps toward sustainable agriculture
(North Central: 89% vs. 67% of lower-revenue farms; South:
97% vs. 65% lower-revenue farms).
- The opposite is true for
farms in the West. More lower-revenue farms have moved
toward sustainable agriculture (74% vs. 51% for farms with
revenues exceeding $1 million).
- Direct seeding is more
prevalent in the South and North Central (64% and 61%
respectively vs. 44% in the West). It is also more prevalent
among large acreage farms (75% for 1,000 acres or more vs.
52% for less than 1,000 acres).
- Reduction of energy use is
more prevalent in the West (45%) compared to North Central
(29%).
Methodology
The study was conducted to gauge farmers' confidence among
target farming regions in the United States. An independent
survey company conducted 458 computer-assisted telephone
interviews from Feb. 2-11, 2009. The survey targeted farmers who
own or operate a farm grossing $250,000 or more in one of three
U.S. census regions: Midwest, South and West. Additionally, a
baseline survey was conducted, but not released in 2008, and is
used as comparison for this survey.
The survey is available at
https://www.rabobankamerica.com/public/documents/pdfs/RaboFarmandRanchSurvey_Spring09.pdf
Rabobank is a global financial services leader providing
institutional and retail banking and agricultural finance
solutions in key markets around the world. From its century-old
roots in the Netherlands, Rabobank has grown into one of the 25
largest banks worldwide, with over $800 billion in total assets
and operations in over 35 countries. Rabobank is the only
private bank in the world with a triple A credit rating from
both Standard & Poor's and Moody's, and is ranked among the
world's safest banks by Global Finance magazine. In the
Americas, Rabobank is a specialist in sophisticated,
customer-driven solutions in the Global Financial Markets and
Corporate Finance arenas and provides banking services to
corporate food and agribusiness clients; retail and commercial
banking services in California; leasing; and a full range of
agricultural finance products to American agricultural
producers. |
|
