The FARMSMART Podcast, presented by Nutrien Ag Solutions

The State of Florida is as unique a place to farm as it is important to the North American food supply, serving as America's "winter vegetable basket." But whether it's citrus or tomatoes or cabbage or one of the other 300 crops harvested in the Sunshine State, David Royal from the Nature Conservancy says 4R nutrient management principles are as important as ever when it comes to protecting Florid...

Farmers are the original conservationists. But over the last 20 years, the agriculture industry has gotten much better at telling its sustainability story. And one organization that's helped lead the way is the National Corn Growers Association. So in this episode, we talk to Nathan Fields, NCGA Vice President of Production and Sustainability, about how the association is working to protect the fu...

To till or not to till is an issue that many sustainability-conscious growers grapple with each year. But with the right equipment, strip till offers an attractive third option, allowing growers to reduce the impact of tilling while minimizing their fertilizer application with targeted, variable-rate application technology. In this episode, Dave Sender, the regional sales manager at Environmental...

In this day and age, consumers have high expectations for how their food is grown and the practices that growers employ. And for farmer Janette Veazey-Post of Lamb Farms, Inc. and Lakeshore Dairy, LLC, meeting those expectations is an important way to generate new revenue and give back to the land on her 13,000-acre operation. In this week's episode, Janette joins us to discuss what prompted her j...

When Nutrien Ag Solutions rolled out its Carbon Pilot Project last year, we knew that getting the idea from plan to execution was going to take a concerted effort by all our stakeholders—our sustainability team, our leadership and our growers especially. So at Commodity Classic this year, we brought these stakeholders together for the Nutrien Ag Solutions Carbon Summit to find out how it went—what...

A sustainable climate is the top priority for Nutrien Ag Solutions as it continues to lead the ag industry in efforts to mitigate climate change and protect the environment. But, from a corporate perspective, there's more to the company's ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) strategy than that. So in this episode, we're joined by Candace Laing, Nutrien's Vice President of Sustainability and...

Extreme weather events—like droughts, heavy rains and tornadoes—are becoming more frequent, as the effects of climate change take hold on our weather patterns. And that means that growers will need to adapt their practices to help them stay resilient in an era where the weather is expected to be increasingly unpredictable. So in this episode, Nutrien Ag Solutions Science Fellow and Principal Atmos...

It's time to start crop planning for 2022, and many growers are interested in fertilizer enhancers as a way to maximize crop yield and sustainable outcomes. Fertilizer enhancers speed up the breakdown and availability of key nutrients, enabling growers to more strategically apply fertilizer and manage their inputs. So in this episode, we'll discuss nutrient management with Brian Cornelious, direct...

Brian Arnall spends his days drilling out soil samples from Texas to Nebraska, and everywhere in between. As the Precision Nutrient Management Extension Specialist at Oklahoma State University, he knows that every acre of ever farm field is unique. And without a precision plan for the variable rate application of fertilizers that accounts for that uniqueness, growers could be missing out on opport...

Farmers face a unique slate of challenges as they prepare to build on their sustainability successes in the 2022 growing season. Supply chain, labor and policy uncertainties have come to a head, leaving growers in search of opportunities to improve their margins and solve problems that they may never have faced before. And that means that Nutrien Ag Solutions will be a more valuable partner than e...

Adapt or perish. It's an imperative as old as agriculture itself. But as the modern ag industry grapples with the need to reduce costs for growers, improve margins and improve sustainability outcomes, Nutrien Ag Solutions must double down on innovation in order to meet those demands. In this episode, Ryan Bond, Senior Director of Crop Protection & Nutrition Innovation at Nutrien Ag Solutions, outl...

Nutrien Ag Solutions can't get to its ambitious goal for sustainable ag program and practice enrollment all on its own. It's going to take a dedicated group of partners to reach 75 million acres by 2030... not just grower and industry partners, but NGOs too. So in this episode, Sarah Fox, Director of Sustainable Ag Strategic Partnerships at Nutrien Ag Solutions, joins us to lay out why it's so imp...

Growers enrolled 575,000 acres in Nutrien Ag Solutions' sustainable ag programs this year. And while that's an impressive milestone worth celebrating, the company is setting even bigger goals for next year, and rolling out new program offerings for growers who want to capitalize on the increasing supply chain value to be found in sustainable practices. In this episode, Tom and Sally revisit some o...

Dr. Chuck Rice has been an expert in the field of sustainable agriculture for years. And his work on soil nutrients and farm productivity has changed our understanding of the way that growers conduct their operations. So in this episode, Tom and Sally dig deep with Dr. Chuck Rice, University Distinguished Professor of Soil Microbiology at Kansas State University, on some of the biggest breakthroug...

Sustainable agriculture. Organic. Regenerative ag. Non-GMO. Gluten free. A trip down the aisle at the grocery store today includes all kinds of labels that you wouldn't have seen 20 years ago. And while the definitions of some of these terms are still being sorted out, one thing is clear: consumers are willing to pay a premium for products that they can feel good about buying and feeding to their...

With new food labeling practices and evolving downstream partnerships, it might seem like the sustainable agriculture supply chain is more complicated than ever before. But these trends are creating new value at the consumer level, and by adopting a few simple practices and documenting them properly, growers can make sure they are capturing their fair share of the profits. In this episode of the F...

While return on investment (ROI) is top-of-mind for growers and their trusted crop consultants, Tom and Sally reiterate the true value of sustainable ag practice implementation and why 1-2 changes can be tough to calculate among a wide array of growing season conditions + factors. Specifically, how the two hot topic practice changes (cover crops and no-till ) can provide value above and beyond car...

While the topic of carbon sequestration is hot in the streets, recent Farm Journal research indicates that only 3.32% of growers surveyed are currently enrolled in a non-governmental carbon market. But while enrollment stays lean, interest does continue to rise, with 55% of growers surveyed confirming they plan to participate over the next three years. In this episode of The Future. Faster, Tom an...

Doing the right thing is its own reward, especially when it comes to sustainability practices. But when you can get compensated for doing that right thing? That's even sweeter. And that's basically the concept behind carbon markets--creating an economic incentive for growers to help in the fight against global climate change. So in this episode of The Future. Faster. Tom and Sally field some of th...

We all hear about global climate change regularly on the news. But what does it really mean, both on a global level and in your own farm field? And how is it that farmers find themselves in a position to help combat climate change, while also benefitting from doing the right thing? In this episode of The Future. Faster. Tom and Sally cover the basics of climate change and carbon markets, where gro...

With planning underway for next year's crop, there are a field full of reasons why growers should consider adopting new sustainable practices. From cover crops to nitrogen management, the decisions that will dictate success or failure in 2022 are being made right now. But what's the best approach, and how will your farm's history and geography impact the best practices? In this episode of The Futu...

There's an entire world of opportunity in sustainable agriculture, so let's start at the beginning. We've all heard the buzz over sustainability. But what's it really all about? What are the opportunities for growers? How can growers get involved, or do they even want to be involved? In this episode of The Future. Faster. we'll answer all these questions and more with our hosts Tom Daniel and Dr....

The future isn’t just written by the past. It’s written by the right now. And right now, we’re focused on what’s next. Welcome to the Future, Faster, a sustainable agriculture podcast created by Nutrien Ag Solutions—for growers, for partners, for the planet. Nutrien Ag Solutions is the retail division of Nutrien, the world’s largest crop inputs company. At Nutrien Ag Solutions, our network of over...