Profiling U.S. Wheat Sustainability: Bob Johns, Soft White Wheat Farmer
By Emily McGarry, USW Policy Intern Bob Johns farms in northeast Oregon, and he would tell you that he’s been farming since the day he was born. Johns’ 5,000-acre farm has been in the family since 1873, but he is ready to retire soon. Since there is no family to take over, he is handing […]
Profiling U.S. Wheat Sustainability: John Hoffman, Soft Red Winter Wheat Farmer
By Elizabeth Westendorf, USW Policy Specialist John Hoffman farms some of the same land that four generations of his family have managed since the late 1800s. Today, the farm covers roughly 3,200 acres where he grows corn, soybeans and soft red winter (SRW) wheat. For Hoffman, sustainability is key to preserving his family’s farming tradition […]
Profiling U.S. Wheat Sustainability: David Clough, Hard Red Spring Wheat Farmer
By Elizabeth Westendorf, USW Policy Specialist David Clough’s career as a farmer has been a journey of constantly evolving technology and improving practices. Clough started farming in North Dakota in 1969. The first few years were difficult because as a first-generation farmer he didn’t have a farm legacy to get him started; he was on […]
Profiling U.S. Wheat Sustainability: Mark Linnebur, Hard White Wheat Farmer
By Elizabeth Westendorf, USW Policy Specialist Mark Linnebur’s family and their community are always at the core of every decision made on their farm. The president of the Colorado Wheat Administrative Committee farms 25,000 acres of land in Colorado alongside five of his brothers and their families. He typically grows HRW or hard white (HW) […]
Profiling U.S. Wheat Sustainability: Roy Motter, Desert Durum® Farmer
By Elizabeth Westendorf, USW Policy Specialist Roy Motter farms 2,500 acres in the Imperial Valley of California, and while that may be small compared to other U.S. wheat farms, his operation supports three families. Motter has been farming with his two brothers-in-law since the 1970s, and he oversees their wheat production. They grow Desert Durum® […]
Profiling U.S. Wheat Sustainability
By Elizabeth Westendorf, USW Policy Specialist In 2016, Field to Market published its third National Indicators Report that assessed sustainability metrics in U.S. agriculture and looked at production of each crop on a national scale. Based on its environmental indicators, the report showed that wheat production has continued to improve, with particular progress in reducing […]
U.S. Wheat Sustainability is In the Details
By Elizabeth Westendorf, USW Policy Specialist When it comes to analyzing the sustainability of agricultural crops there is a tendency to apply generalized metrics or standards to a wide swath of scenarios. While there is value in using generalized metrics, broad stroke approaches can miss the small details that often make a big difference in […]