Cargill, Nestlé Purina, Nature Conservancy join forces to improve water sustainability in the beef supply chain
This project is expected to reduce the environmental impact of row crop irrigation in Nebraska and provide a scalable irrigation solution for U.S. farmers.
Cargill, Minneapolis, teamed up with The Nature Conservancy, Arlington County, Va., and Nestlé Purina PetCare Co., St. Louis, Mo., to launch a 3-year water project to improve the sustainability of the beef supply chain. This project is expected to reduce the environmental impact of row crop irrigation in Nebraska and provide a scalable irrigation solution for U.S. farmers.
More than 50% of water used in U.S. beef production is dedicated to irrigating the row crops that become feed for cattle, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, Bethesda, Md. Putting what is said to be first-of-its-kind irrigation technology in the hands of farmers greatly reduces the amount of water needed for row crop irrigation. The Nebraska project enables farmers to make more informed irrigation decisions by installing smart weather sensors in crop fields and using Internet of Things (IoT) technology on sprinklers connected to a smartphone app.