New York, New York
April 20, 2009

U.S. farmers claim high awareness, involvement in sustainable agriculture

With Earth Day around the corner, Rabobank found that nearly 70 percent of the U.S. farmers and ranchers surveyed have taken steps toward implementing sustainable agricultural practices.

"Sustainability is an increasing priority among consumers as well as for many areas of industry and commerce, and this survey shows that U.S. farmers and ranchers share that view," said John Ryan, president and CEO for Rabo AgriFinance. "Sustainable agricultural practices are the cornerstone of long-term strategy for success."

According to Rabobank Farm & Ranch Survey, three out of every four U.S. farmers are aware of sustainable practices, and most have used direct seeding, minimized the use of chemicals or employed crop rotation.

"For our farmers and ranchers in California, the use of alternative energy sources can be a matter of survival. Energy and water resources are limited and costly, so the development and employment of sustainable energy sources in agriculture is a smart business practice as well as beneficial to the environment," said Aitor Ezcurra, Executive Vice President and Head of Commercial Banking for Rabobank, N.A.

Additionally, the Rabobank survey found:

• In the North Central and South regions, higher-revenue farms (more than $1 million annually) have taken steps toward sustainable agriculture (North Central: 89% vs. 67% of lower-revenue farms; South: 97% vs. 65% lower-revenue farms). 
• The opposite is true for farms in the West. More lower-revenue farms have moved toward sustainable agriculture (74% vs. 51% for farms with revenues exceeding $1 million).
• Direct seeding is more prevalent in the South and North Central (64% and 61% respectively vs. 44% in the West). It is also more prevalent among large acreage farms (75% for 1,000 acres or more vs. 52% for less than 1,000 acres). 
• Reduction of energy use is more prevalent in the West (45%) compared to North Central (29%).

Methodology

The study was conducted to gauge farmers' confidence among target farming regions in the United States. An independent survey company conducted 458 computer-assisted telephone interviews from Feb. 2-11, 2009. The survey targeted farmers who own or operate a farm grossing $250,000 or more in one of three U.S. census regions: Midwest, South and West. Additionally, a baseline survey was conducted, but not released in 2008, and is used as comparison for this survey.

The survey is available at https://www.rabobankamerica.com/public/documents/pdfs/RaboFarmandRanchSurvey_Spring09.pdf 

Rabobank is a global financial services leader providing institutional and retail banking and agricultural finance solutions in key markets around the world. From its century-old roots in the Netherlands, Rabobank has grown into one of the 25 largest banks worldwide, with over $800 billion in total assets and operations in over 35 countries. Rabobank is the only private bank in the world with a triple A credit rating from both Standard & Poor's and Moody's, and is ranked among the world's safest banks by Global Finance magazine. In the Americas, Rabobank is a specialist in sophisticated, customer-driven solutions in the Global Financial Markets and Corporate Finance arenas and provides banking services to corporate food and agribusiness clients; retail and commercial banking services in California; leasing; and a full range of agricultural finance products to American agricultural producers.

Website: http://www.rabobank.com

Published: May 20, 2009