The Co-op Grow Team’s farm-focused tool GROWN WITH PURPOSE® (GWP) is designed to take a years-long look into the future of your farm business, not just the year ahead.
Grown With Purpose changes the game
In operation since 2019, GWP initially focused on 4R nutrient stewardship and responsible on-farm fertilizer application. Since then, it has expanded and evolved to include more than 1 million participating acres and a shift towards complete farm management. This includes an in-depth review of inputs, safety protocols and overall farm planning to enhance holistic farm sustainability.
Co-op’s Agronomic Market Development Manager, Lane Christiansen, said GWP is a true look at sustainability on-farm from top to bottom.
“When I say sustainability, we're not just talking about the environment, but you're looking at the economics, the social sustainability and the health and safety of the farm,” he said. “It’s allowing a Co-op Grow Team member to understand that farm and to help guide the farmers and their decision-making for the future.”
Overall, he said farmers are excited about the program, especially since GWP serves as the conduit for farmers to explain their sustainable farm operations. The good news is that farmers are already a step ahead, largely because they were already doing many of the things now required of them.
“It's important for ag to tell their story, especially in today's political landscape,” he said. “I feel like Grown With Purpose is a good spot for farmers to be able to tell their story.”
How it works
One of GWP’s key features is the Farm Portfolio Assessment. It allows a farmer to meet with a Co-op Grow Team member and input all their relevant data for their farm—everything from crop management information to economics as well as HR and safety policies—and have that in a centralized place where it can be treated as a living document, able to be reviewed and updated as the farm business evolves. It also allows farmers to connect with their Co-op Grow Team members and carve out a medium- to long-term plan for their farm’s future. According to Christiansen, it’s a powerful the tool. He said usually the next one to two years of crop planning is talked about, but there is merit to discussing longer-term overall farm planning.
“This tool allows you to talk with somebody who has your best interests in mind, understands your goals and is now working with you to achieve those goals—whether you want to get into ag tech, expand your farm or improve your soil health. We’ve got everything you need to be successful on your farm and/or ranch.”
AgZone FIELD integration
The tool itself is soon going to be integrated into Co-op’s AGZONE FIELD™ digital agronomy program, as well. Co-op’s Senior Digital Solutions Specialist, Laura Cross, is looking forward to seeing GWP merge with AgZone FIELD, a digital agronomy tool designed to help farmers make data-driven decisions. AgZone FIELD centralizes all relevant crop information, from field maps and soil data to NDVI imagery and yield reports.
The simplicity of having everything in a single location will make every farm that much more efficient.
“It's in one centralized place,” she said. “Agronomists don't have to pull data from 10 different spots and kind of try and make heads and tails of it. It's just all right there. It's helpful for the grower in this sense that the agronomist knows everything about their fields and their farm.”
Christiansen believes Canadian farmers can be seen on the international stage as the standard for complete farm management thanks to a quantifiable program like GWP.
“We could be leaders in that area when you look across Canada, but also across the world, of what it
means to be true leaders in sustainable agricultural practices,” he said.