Grower paperwork requests seek proof of sustainability
data to retailers, which pass them along to suppliers, which then interpret the re- quests and attempt to respond with mea- surable proof. “It is a lift to get that data,” said Jim McKeon, director of organic integrity and compliance for Salinas-based Taylor Farms. “But we’re also seeing it as an op- portunity. It’s a broad set of data being re- quested from a bunch of different channels because the customer is more in tune with where their food is coming from.” He said suppliers must discover ways to identify and capture data to fulfill these audits. “We take it all the way back to the field level to narrow in and decide on what microbiological test we’re going to do, what nitrogen test we’re going to do, how frequently we’re going to do it,” McKeon said. “We’re in the space right now where we’re trying to define and measure improvement.”
McKeon and Brennan also analyze sustainability audits to identify customer preferences such as interest in a compa- ny’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. They said seeing the bigger picture from the consumers’ perspective helps suppli- ers stay proactive. Last year, Brennan was promoted to an expanded role including additional over- sight of Grimmway Farms’ environmen- tal, social and governance data collection and reporting initiatives, according to a company press release. Today, she heads a newly formed team that addresses the demand for sustainability data. It is an additional overhead cost re- quired by large national suppliers. “There is a cost associated with every question,” Brennan said. “If we are the size we are and we are having a hard time an- swering questions, what does that bode for
By Caitlin Fillmore Bakersfield-based organic and con- ventional vegetable grower Grimmway Farms bills itself as the world’s largest carrot producer and a sus- tainable operation “dedicated to protecting natural resources and preserving the environment.” Amid growing consumer-driven de- mands for transparency, such sustain- ability pledges by Grimmway Farms, other growers and produce suppliers may now require a considerable amount of paper- work to back them up. Major retailers call for sustainability au- dits that can range from simple checklists to detailed reports documenting efforts to reduce greenhouse gases, conserve water and provide equitable workplaces. Dana Culhane-Brennan, Grimmway’s vice president for external affairs and cor- porate responsibility, said sustainability audit paperwork requests from top retail- ers can span 60 to 80 pages of information. “There is an expectation that companies are doing things responsibly,” Culhane- Brennan told attendees at the Organic Produce Summit in Monterey in July. “Integrity is key in this process.” One retailer requiring documentation is
Walmart, which began collecting sustain- ability data in 2017 after launching Project Gigaton ™ . According to its website, the project’s goal is to offset 1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases in the global sup- ply chain by 2030. The retailer identified six areas of focus for the effort: energy, waste, packaging, product use and design, transportation and contributions to nature. Everything from a supplier’s packaging to its choice in raw materials, its transportation op- tions to how much it regenerates its nat- ural environment is open to scrutiny via Walmart’s surveys. “(Audits) help us understand where we stand in relation to our goals and un- derstand where our suppliers are in their (sustainability) journey,” explained Roland Harmon, director of global food sourc- ing at Walmart. “We cannot tackle these broader systemic issues alone.” Harmon said data provided by suppliers is not shared with other suppliers or used as leverage by Walmart. There remains no standardized ap- proach to quantify a produce supplier’s positive or negative contribution to natural and social environments. Instead, the process works as a one-way street: Customers submit requests for
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2023 Retirement Plan
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California’s state retirement plan mandate expanded on January 1 to include those employers with one or more employees. Ensure you are prepared to comply with the new California retirement plan mandate. Join us at one of our webinars presented by Nationwide. Members, enjoy access to free classes! Register for the upcoming webinars.
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1 For commercial use only. Customer participation subject to credit qualification and approval by CNH Industrial Capital America LLC or CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. See your participating New Holland dealer for details and eligibility requirements. Eligible equipment limited to dealer inventory in stock. Previous retail sales are not eligible. Down payment may be required. Offer good through August 31, 2023. Not all customers or applicants may qualify for this rate or term. CNH Industrial Capital America LLC or CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. standard terms and conditions will apply. This transaction will be unconditionally interest free. Canada Example: The interest rate will be 0.00% per annum for a total contract term of 60 months. Based on retail contract date of July 1, 2023, with a suggested retail price on a new T6.145 Auto Command Tractor of C$142,148.00, customer provides down payment of C$28,429.60 and finances the balance of C$113,718.40 at 0.00% per annum for 60 months. There will be 60 equal monthly payments of C$1,895.31; provided that the amount of the last payment may be slightly different due to rounding. The total amount payable will be C$142,148.00, which includes finance charges of C$0.00. Taxes, freight, setup, delivery, additional options or attachments not included in suggested retail price. Offer subject to change or cancellation without notice. 2Cash back amounts vary and are applied at time of sale. ©2023 CNH Industrial America LLC. All rights reserved. CNH Industrial Capital and New Holland are trademarks registered in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or affiliates.
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August 23, 2023 Ag Alert 13
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