There’s a constellation of terms to describe the practices and programs that help maintain the natural resources used in the production of crops, livestock and specialty/permanent crops.
To better understand the word choices preferred by farmers and ag retailers/crop advisers, Farm Journal recently conducted online surveys asking both groups. In all, there was a total of nearly 250 responses. Here’s what they said:
Which term do you most prefer to describe conservation production systems?
- 46% Conservation agriculture
- 36% Sustainable agriculture
- 13% Regenerative agriculture
- 4% Climate-smart agriculture
- 1% Carbon negative or carbon neutral agriculture
[248 responses]
Which term do you least prefer to describe conservation production systems?
- 45% Carbon negative or carbon neutral agriculture
- 35% Climate-smart agriculture
- 7% Conservation agriculture
- 7% Regenerative agriculture
- 6% Sustainable agriculture
[248 responses]
There was not a directional difference between the farmer responses and the responses from agribusinesses.
Of the 50+ responses from ag retailers/crop advisers, top preferred phrases were: conservation agriculture for 40% and sustainable agriculture for 40%.
From the farmer responses, the top choices were conservation agriculture at 48% and sustainable agriculture at 35%.
The least preferred terms were the same for both groups. Reported by farmers, the least preferred was carbon negative or carbon neutral agriculture at 45%, and climate smart was the next least preferred term by 37%. The ag retailer/crop adviser respondents patterned similarly: carbon negative or carbon neutral agriculture was least preferred by 43%, and climate smart agriculture was the next least preferred at 30% of respondents choosing that option.
Of the 190+ farmers who responded, 52% self-selected as row crop; 30% both row crop and livestock; 9% livestock; and 8% other.
In 2022, America’s Conservation Ag Movement, a Farm Journal initiative, surveyed farmers in Arkansas, California, Indiana, Maryland and Nebraska. Those results showed a similar result: conservation agriculture was the clear choice. “Sustainable agriculture” placed second.
EDITOR’S TAKE:
So, if you’re talking to a farmer/rancher and the topic of conservation happens to come up, you can feel confident in choosing the proper terminology! Knowing what your customers prefer, especially knowing how to converse with them, is key to building trust and confidence. No, you don’t need to be a total expert, but using the right terms can help. As a CAD member it is important to place some emphasis on building your credibility with the farmers/ranchers in your area.
