b"sustainability challenges, the groupsand they want it cheap, van Eerd says. website says. It now includes over 550One of the ways, in my opinion is I American and Canadian farmers, alongthink regenerative ag helps in that, is with companies. by providing practices that care for and For now, Simplot prefers to refer toprotect the soil. When that happens, then their sustainability work with growers asyou protect waterways from soil and conservation agriculture. Wilson explainsnutrients entering it.conservation agriculture is a betterThe challenge now is for the companies understood term as it points towards theasking for these greener practices to 4Rs Nutrient Stewardship program work with growers to explain what their right source, right rate, right time, anddefinitions include. Companies will also right place. have to be flexible with growers on what All of these terms like sustainabilitywork they do to implement these practices Potatoes being collected on a five-foot tarp,and regenerative agriculture, I kind ofas every farm is different.from six rows harvested by the windrower atthink of them as basket terms, that holdYou can do one cover crop and its Under the Hill Farms from a minimal tillage field during the 2020 growing season.a whole lot of different meanings forconsidered regenerative agriculture or you PHOTO: VIKRAM BISHT different people, she says. can be doing 50 different things for your soil, and its also regenerative agriculture. give advice and suggestions to otherA Greener Future for All So there is a large spectrum. There's no growers they work with. While every company may have their ownone size fits all, Perry says.Along with Simplots own sustainabilityapproach to becoming greener, at the endAt the end of the day, growers and goals, they are members of the Potatoof the day theyre all working towards thecompanies are going to have to be willing Sustainability Alliance (PSA), of whichsame goals. to experiment to find what works best for McCain is also a member. The PSA wasConsumers want healthy,each of them. founded 10 years ago to bring togetherenvironmentally safe (food) not only potato processors, farmers, distributors,to protect the environment, they wantEditors note: All interviews were and restaurants to address potatofood that benefits the environmentcompleted over the phone.INNOVATIVEECONOMICALRELIABLEENJOYABLE12SPUDSMART.COM Fall 2021"