Scoular introduces Climate-Smart soybean program

Specialty grain producers could now have extra incentive for adopting climate smart practices. Scoular recently announced their participation in the USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program, which would provide financial incentive to soybean producers who practice sustainable agricultural practices, such as no-till and cover crops.

Based out of Omaha, Nebraska, Scoular is an employee-owned agribusiness that buys, sells, stores, handles and processes grain and ingredients, as well as manages transportation and logistics worldwide.

The Climate-Smart program rewards soybean producers in certain regions for implementing practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote carbon sequestration and improve soil health. The soybeans Scoular will source through the program will be marketed to brands and retailers, allowing the sustainability benefits to pass through the supply chain.

“Sustainability is important for our company and is crucial for the agriculture industry,” said Eric Kresin, a general manager in Scoular’s Grain Division and a Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) board member. “We are excited we can support producers in their sustainability efforts. This program highlights our commitment to building a more sustainable and resilient agricultural system for generations to come.”

For the food-grade soybean market, producers participating in this Climate-Smart program are enhancing the quality and traceability standards all the way through the supply chain.

“The commitment to climate smart ag doesn’t end with the producers. Through our initiatives at Scoular, these will continue all the way through the market to our end users,” said Rhonda Cole, market development manager at Scoular. “I think the rigor around the U.S. Identity Preserved program is something Scoular does really, really well.”

Practices that are eligible for incentives, which are paid on a per-acre basis, include conservation crop rotation, no-till, cover crop, nutrient management and reduced till. Producers could earn up $110 per acre, depending on the practices they enroll in.

“I think most farmers try to be good stewards of the land and they take their efforts in sustainability seriously,” said Cole. “While they know people appreciate those efforts, now through this Climate-Smart program it will actually put a value on it.”

Scoular recently processed its first Climate-Smart soybeans at the company’s state-of the-art grain-cleaning facility in Andres, Illinois.

The Climate-Smart effort is known officially as the Transforming the Farmer to Consumer Supply Chain project. The USDA funding is through Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities and represents a pioneering collaboration between industry partners led by Carbon A List.

To learn more about the Climate-Smart program, visit www.transformf2c.com or www.scoular.com.