GROWMARK Announces Enduring Farm Winners & Endure Sustainability Report
Enduring Farms recognizes farms that go above and beyond in their commitment to preserve and improve their land and natural resources for future generations by adopting best management practices that optimize nutrient utilization, leading to long-term soil and water quality.
To be considered for the award, FS companies nominate farms using certain sustainable best management practices on their farms. Farms that implement additional agronomic and environmental management practices can also earn the Enduring Farms Plus designation.
Enduring Farms winner, the Grigsby family, who farms in Illinois, in Cass and Menard Counties, along with their management team, take pride in embracing conservation techniques that help make them an Enduring Farms winner.
GROWMARK and its FS-affiliated companies have named the Enduring Farm winners for the 2024 calendar year in addition to publishing its annual Endure Report detailing the GROWMARK System’s environmental, social, and governance engagement for the prior calendar year, as part of the System’s sustainability efforts.
“Our legacy is one of conservation,” said Robby Grigsby. “We use conservation practices like water sediment control structures, field buffer strips, selective placement of CRP acres, topsoil regeneration through the use of cover crops, and many other practices to help preserve our soil, manage and protect our water, and ensure this farmland remains viable and healthy for future generations.”
For the 2024 calendar year, 76 farms earned the Enduring Farms designation while 96 farms earned the Enduring Farms Plus designation which represents an overall increase of nearly 17% for total farms receiving one of the Enduring Farms designations. A complete list of winners can be viewed here.
“We’re proud of the conservation practices the Enduring Farms farm families are implementing to ensure their farmland remains healthy for future generations,” said GROWMARK Executive Vice President and COO, Brad Drake. “Their commitment to conservation is something we hope will inspire others.”
The Endure Report, published alongside the Enduring Farm designations, details the GROWMARK System’s sustainability efforts while also serving our farmer-customers. These efforts include supporting and implementing smart stewardship and safety practices throughout the System, supporting decarbonization technology and initiatives, and engaging with our communities in ways that support youth education and young farmers, offer scholarships, and provide support for other industry advocates.
“In the Endure Report, you’ll read about our efforts to introduce new and innovative products and technology to help us reduce carbon output, empower our farmer customers to participate in carbon markets, build safety into the foundation of everything we do, and prepare the next generation of leaders in agriculture, ” Drake said. “Our mission to help feed and fuel the world drives our initiatives in these areas and motivates us to build on our successes each year.”
GROWMARK is an agricultural cooperative serving almost 400,000 customers across North America, providing agronomy, energy, facility engineering and construction, and logistics products and services, as well as grain marketing and risk management services. Headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois, GROWMARK owns the FS trademark, which is used by member cooperatives. More information is available at GROWMARK.com.