Cargill commits to water project

The Nature Conservancy, in collaboration with Nestlй Purina and Cargill, is launching a three-year water project to improve the sustainability of the beef supply chain. This project is expected to reduce the environmental impact of row crop irrigation in Nebraska and provide a scalable irrigation solution for farmers across the U.S. A press release announcing the partnership noted that more than 50 percent of water used in U.S. beef production is dedicated to irrigating the row crops that become feed for cattle. It explained that by putting first-of-its-kind, cost-effective irrigation technology in the hands of farmers, the amount of water needed for row crop irrigation is greatly reduced, as is the environmental impact of the beef supply chain. The Nebraska project enables farmers to make more informed irrigation decisions by installing smart weather sensors in crop fields and using Internet of Things (IoT) technology on sprinklers connected to a smart phone app. Nebraska was selected for the project, as it has the largest share of irrigated acres in the U.S., and the second largest cattle population. The Ogallala Aquifer, which spans the majority of the state, provides water to nearly one-fifth of wheat, corn, cotton and cattle produced in the U.S. “Farmers are continually innovating to bring food to the table more sustainably,” said Courtney Hall, Cargill technical sustainability manager. “By working with them, and alongside The Nature Conservancy and Nestlй Purina, we’re scaling these solutions around water conservation to ensure an even more sustainable future for beef supply chains.” — WLJ