Campbell Soup’s Work with Land O’ Lakes Sustain Improves Yield, Profitability of Farmers

Campbell Soup’s work with the Land O’Lakes Sustain program over the last year has yeilded important insights that are helping the company improve the sustainability of its crops, including wheat, soybeans and corn. Sustain is helping Campbell Soup aggregate data across its farms to discover, field by field and acre by acre, what elements are the most important to crop growth and how to improve yield while maximizing its use of resources like fertilizer.

By incorporating sustainable crop practices into its business, the company says it will build resiliency and efficiency in its supply chain – and that eventually, cost savings will be passed on to consumers, according to Forbes.

The findings from Sustain’s tracking and measurement tools have helped the company understand how to improve use of nitrogen across its farms, to both reduce negative environmental effects and to boost yield. “To date, we can tell that yield has driven farmers’ overall profitability,” says Matt Carstens, senior VP of Sustain.

Land O’Lakes Sustain is a conservation solutions provider focusing on farmers and agriculture companies within the food system, helping them drive their sustainability efforts and grow them to scale. Sustain provides farmers with technology tools and resources that help them track progress on every acre they farm, and helps them use the information gleaned to better manage their profitability while improving environmental responsibility.

Campbell’s says its sustainability initiatives are one of the ways the company is responding to the needs of retailers and investors alike: retailers need more sustainable products to respond to consumer demand, while investors want to know that companies and their supply chains are resilient enough to handle the effects of climate change, Dan Sonke, director of sustainable agriculture at Campbell Soup, told Food Navigator.

The company says it is working to transform its relationships with suppliers via its Responsible Sourcing goals covering traceability of raw materials, supplier diversity and human rights.

“Integrating sustainability into our operations is good for the planet, our consumers, and our business,” says Dave Stangis, Campbell Soup chief sustainability officer. The company was recently named as one of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World, as determined by Corporate Knights.