Matt Carstens, director of sustainability at Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN, with Ian and Tina Coutts, and Matt Coutts of Coutts Agro.

Joan Janzen

of The Crossroads

It’s innovation and a strong commitment to helping the environment that led to Ian Coutts of Coutts Agro in Kindersley to be honoured with an Innovation Award by Land O’Lakes, a farmer-owned co-operative, representing and recognizing operations from all over North America.

[emember_protected for=”2″ custom_msg=’For more on this story, please see this week’s print edition of The Cross Roads.’]

Farmers know that an investment in environmental sustainability is also an investment in the sustainability of their business. More often than not, the best conservation and stewardship solutions are farmer-led and farmer-driven, and Coutts Agro has proven this to be true.

Coutts Agro farms 92,000 acres and are the founding users of First Pass Technologies, a software to pre-plan field routes. As a result, Ian has eliminated five to seven per cent of total distance travelled, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, fertilizer use and the amount of soil turned up during seeding.

His efforts have a ripple effect across the entire food system – from the land that is farmed, to the companies they supply ingredients to, to the consumers who ultimately buy their products.

Ian is just one of the thousands of farmers implementing cutting edge conservation practices to support cleaner air and water, better soil health, stronger rural and farm economies and, ultimately, a healthy, sustainable food system for everyone.

Congratulations Ian!

[/emember_protected] innovation