De Smet, South Dakota cattle producer, Todd Wilkinson, asks a question during the Making Sense of Sustainability panel discussion hosted by AgSpire June 21 ahead of the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Foundation Prime Time Gala in Sioux Falls.
Cow-calf producer Brady Wulf often finds himself talking with consumers because he and his wife operate a vacation rental on their family’s multi-generational Minnesota ranch.
When he shares about the positive impact the family’s cattle have on the environment, Wulf said their guests are surprised.
“I explain how our cattle are sequestering way more carbon than they are putting out, and our guests’ jaws just about hit the floor,” said Wulf. “Because this is not the story they have been told.”
When it comes to sustainability, beef producers do have a great story to share. But they need data to prove it.
This became a focus that Wulf and the other panelists discussed during the Making Sense of Sustainability panel discussion hosted by AgSpire June 21 ahead of the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Foundation Prime Time Gala in Sioux Falls.
“I want to give people the right to eat beef and remove some of the guilt that others are trying to drive, but we can’t do that without numbers,” said panelist Tim Hardman, global sustainability director at Fulton Marketing Group (FMG), the company responsible for procuring 700 million pounds of beef for McDonald’s each year.
Pipestone, Minn., cattle producer Michael Fruechte asks a question during the Making Sense of Sustainability panel discussion hosted by AgSpire June 21 ahead of the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Foundation Prime Time Gala in Sioux Falls, S.D.
To accomplish that goal, FMG and McDonald’s teamed up with AgSpire.
AgSpire works with ranchers – like Wulf – to incentivize and implement sustainable management practices, while also helping capture and quantify the positive impact grazing livestock have on soil and grassland health, said panel moderator, Jared Knock.
Knock is one of AgSpire’s founders and a Willow Lake, South Dakota cattle producer. During the panel discussion, Knock shared the inspiration behind AgSpire: “When I think about what is going to keep animal agriculture viable for the long term … it is really the environmental concern about beef production that I see as the biggest risk factor for my children’s children to continue in the industry.”
Making Sense of Sustainability panel discussion was hosted by AgSpire, June 21 ahead of the Prime Time Cattlemen’s Foundation Gala held in Sioux Falls, S.D. The panel featured Minnesota cattle rancher Brady Wulf, left; Tim Hardman, global sustainability director at Fulton Marketing Group, the company responsible for procuring 700 million pounds of beef for McDonalds each year; Don Gales, chairman and chief executive officer of Friona Industries, the second-largest cattle feeder in the U.S; and moderator, Jared Knock, vice president of business development at AgSpire and a South Dakota rancher.
Panelist Don Gales agreed. The chairman and chief executive officer of Friona Industries, the second-largest cattle feeder in the U.S., said, “Sustainability starts at the calf level – a sustainable (beef) operation needs to be both sustainable with the environment and sustainable with economics. This is what we are working to do.”
Friona Industries also works with AgSpire to support ranchers in their supply chain. Companies like them and FMG represent a growing cohort of public and private organizations who are taking action to help cattle producers in their efforts to enhance soil and grassland health, as well as reward them for the positive environmental impacts.
Through AgSpire’s SustainAg Network, cattle producers choose a program that fits with their operation’s goals. They receive expert advice, resources and funding to cover costs associated with implementation of sustainability practices. Data is collected throughout the process to quantify the impact.
Canova, S.D., cattle producer Corey Eich asks a question during the Making Sense of Sustainability panel discussion hosted by AgSpire June 21 ahead of the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Foundation Prime Time Gala in Sioux Falls, S.D.
AgSpire is focused on assisting producers improve their operational efficiency, resilience and profitability, said Ryan Eichler, director of producer programs at AgSpire and a Lake Preston, South Dakota cattle producer.
“We help producers capture incentives and use them to further producers’ business goals,” he said.
Wulf participates in AgSpire’s Grass is Greener program. Funded through a partnership between AgSpire, South Dakota State University, and others, Wulf is able to expand his operation’s use of cover crops and perennial plantings, thereby increasing forage available for grazing.
Like many agriculture producers enrolled in AgSpire programs, Wulf and his family have been implanting regenerative agriculture practices on their land for generations. He appreciates the ability to now have data to support what his family has known for years.
“We’ve completely revitalized our grasslands with our cattle, and there are a lot of measurables, like carbon sequestration, but then there are a lot of things you can’t measure, like water infiltration, like plant diversity, like controlling runoff, controlling wind erosion,” Wulf said.
But it is the measurable carbon sequestration data collected from Wulf’s cattle ranch and others that corporations like McDonald’s and Friona Industries need, Hardman explained.
“The numbers AgSpire is helping us collect will drive a more meaningful sustainability conversation with consumers in the future,” he said.
A video of the panel discussion is available at thesustainagnetwork.com/24-making-sense-of-sustainability. The website is also where producers can see all the program options provided by AgSpire and join the Network.
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
De Smet, South Dakota cattle producer, Todd Wilkinson, asks a question during the Making Sense of Sustainability panel discussion hosted by AgSpire June 21 ahead of the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Foundation Prime Time Gala in Sioux Falls.
Pipestone, Minn., cattle producer Michael Fruechte asks a question during the Making Sense of Sustainability panel discussion hosted by AgSpire June 21 ahead of the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Foundation Prime Time Gala in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Making Sense of Sustainability panel discussion was hosted by AgSpire, June 21 ahead of the Prime Time Cattlemen’s Foundation Gala held in Sioux Falls, S.D. The panel featured Minnesota cattle rancher Brady Wulf, left; Tim Hardman, global sustainability director at Fulton Marketing Group, the company responsible for procuring 700 million pounds of beef for McDonalds each year; Don Gales, chairman and chief executive officer of Friona Industries, the second-largest cattle feeder in the U.S; and moderator, Jared Knock, vice president of business development at AgSpire and a South Dakota rancher.
Canova, S.D., cattle producer Corey Eich asks a question during the Making Sense of Sustainability panel discussion hosted by AgSpire June 21 ahead of the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Foundation Prime Time Gala in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Account processing issue – the email address may already exist
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Invalid password or account does not exist
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Secure transaction. Secure transaction. Cancel anytime.
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
A receipt was sent to your email.