Seeing a threat to the future of agriculture in the United States, American Farmland Trust (AFT) launched a new product certification in March including a “U.S. Farmed” label, to promote American agricultural consumption. Intended for both raw products and consumer-packaged goods, the producers undergo the certification process if at least 95 percent of the ingredients are sourced from American farms.
A non-profit organization that aims to empower farmers and strengthen American agriculture, the AFT developed the label to increase revenue and consumption of produce and by-products grown in the United States.
Beth Sauerhaft, President and CEO of AFT said that the program is “critical because it is going to strengthen the U.S. agricultural sector by providing a stronger domestic market for farmers’ goods.”
The certification heralds to consumers the importance of supporting locally grown and manufactured products, especially as AFT reports that 30 percent of American farmland will be lost to urbanization within 15 years, and 2,000 acres used for cultivation are lost daily to development for residential purposes.
Anheuser-Busch is the first company to adopt the new certification in its beer products. Chief Procurement Officer John Rogers said that in the company’s 165 years of business, the certification is a “wonderful testament to our longstanding support for U.S. farmers and for the high-quality ingredients farmers grow here in America.”
Sauerhaft said the interface of agriculture is changing rapidly. As the USDA reports that the average age of American farmers is 57, there is a transfer of land ownership from one generation to the next. “Over the next 20 years, we are expecting to see about 300 million acres of farmland transfer” to younger growers, she said, which equates to about a third of all American farmland.
Being the first company to adopt the seal and certification, Anheuser-Busch’s involvement in the program is helping to ensure a stronger farm sector for generations to come and to slow the loss of farmland to other uses.
The company produces beer brands such as Busch Light, Budweiser, Bud Light and Michelob ULTRA, all of which have the new U.S. Farmed label. The label gives consumers the ability to identify and purchase locally grown products.
For producers, the certification provides farmers with resources and advising, and helps them maintain their land through AFT. Rogers said that through the example of Anheuser-Busch, he hopes to “inspire and encourage other companies to join us in this mission.”
“Coming together, we can make a much bigger impact on the industry and the economy than we can do by going alone,” he said.
Consumers can anticipate seeing the new label on Anheuser-Busch products starting in May.
To become U.S. Farmed certified, a company completes the application through AFT and demonstrates that their ingredients are derived from products grown in America through a third-party inspection that verifies the end-to-end supply chain process. For a more thorough understanding of the process, purpose, and benefits of the certification label, Sauerhaft encourages businesses to visit the AFT certification standard page.
“It is an intensive process,” Rogers said, “so that it maintains its authenticity and credibility for the American consumer.”
Funds coming to AFT through the certification program will support the initiatives of the Trust, including technical resources and advisory services to aid in the knowledge gap and decision-making process for producers. The funding will ensure that AFT can continue its mission of preserving land for exclusive agricultural use through a sustainable and holistic approach.
“Being able to provide these resources to farmers because of the certification program is really exciting to us,” Sauerhaft said, and “we are hoping that we will be able to see that it slows a lot of those issues” affecting American agriculture.
Contributing Author:
Lauren McEwen
AgNet West Intern