Star of the West Milling Co. Joins Truterra Network to Optimize Sustainability
Frankenmuth, MI — Star of the West Milling Co. has announced that it has joined the Truterra™ network, which was launched by Land O’Lakes in 2016.
Having ag retail in Michigan and flour mills in several states, Star of the West partnered with the only food and ag sustainability program in the United States that is farmer-owned and farmer-driven.
Being part of the Truterra network allows Star of the West Milling Co. to offer its grower customer base a suite of tools to help optimize sustainability and profitability.
Through Truterra, growers are positioned to access opportunities to be rewarded for stewardship, including carbon and emerging ecosystem services markets.
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Growers working with Star of the West sustainability projects will have access to the Truterra™ Insights Engine.
This sustainability tool allows growers to generate a stewardship baseline for every field and then predict and measure the impact of implementing specific conservation practices on both the environment and their profitability.
Star of the West will work with interested growers across its footprint to document their current practices and then unlock insights about their fields to evaluate and implement conservation practices to better achieve agronomic and economic goals.
With Truterra, growers retain ownership of their data at all times.
“We look forward to working with growers across our different geographies to identify potential opportunities for their farms while also partnering with our food processing customers,” said Keith Martus, vice president of agronomy at Star of the West.
Using the Truterra™ Insights Engine can help growers determine if they qualify for opportunities to earn money by improving their stewardship.
One example of this is with Truterra’s carbon program that helps growers generate and sell carbon credits to private sector buyers. In this program, qualifying growers may be compensated for their stewardship efforts.
Other examples of opportunities are specific to Star of the West and depend on the food customer and grower geography.
One new example for Star of the West growers is a partnership with The Nature Conservancy which focuses on Michigan wheat and sustainable/regenerative practices being added to the farm.
These growers will utilize Truterra to show and track the improvements the new practices are making to their fields.
“Right now our focus is on wheat, but we continue to work to develop projects and partners," said Lisa Woodke, Star of the West sustainability director.
"Whether future developments are different crops, new customers, or simply current customers asking for more specific data, we are excited to bring these opportunities to our growers.”
Participating in current and future offers requires data, and getting started with the Truterra™ Insights Engine helps prepare growers to take advantage of new revenue streams as they emerge.
For more information about working with Star of the West and getting access to new offerings through Truterra, please visit www.starofthewest.com or www.truterraag.com.
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