Syngenta, Ducks Unlimited Launch Project To Encourage Staff Engagement In Conservation Agriculture And Sustainability

26 November 2024, USA: The Sustainable and Responsible Business team at Syngenta is excited to announce its collaboration with Ducks Unlimited (DU), highlighting employees’ commitment to conservation agriculture.

In Spring 2024, Syngenta and DU developed a contest for sharing employee stories and recognizing their leadership in conservation. Qualifying employees had the opportunity to showcase a range of projects related to their personal, educational, on-farm, or operational projects, with the grand prize winner securing two tickets to experience a “Concert for Conservation” in Las Vegas, Nevada, a Ducks Unlimited exclusive event. Six other contest winners received a one-year DU membership and the opportunity to participate in a field tour with DU agriculture specialists – an experience for forging new relationships and deepening existing ones.

“Our goal is to learn from each other and to motivate staff to share, be involved, and do more, whether they grow crops or not,” says Liz Hunt, head of Syngenta Sustainability for North America. “We know our staff loves the agricultural way of life, nature and open space. We want them to realize that they, too, are part of climate and biodiversity solutions, not only the farmers we serve. DU can help us in that journey.”

Understanding that sustainability goals are impossible to achieve alone, the joint effort will allow Syngenta and DU to:

• Catalyze the conservation work Syngenta staff are already doing
• Share expertise and build community for scaling conservation in Syngenta’s business and in conservation agriculture
• Reinforce a commitment to Syngenta’s sustainability priority to increase growers’ productivity while reducing environmental impact
• Help leverage the conservation agriculture expertise of DU for agribusinesses

“We are proud to work with Syngenta in advancing sustainable agriculture practices that benefit both people and the land,” says Jeff Hanratty, director of National Sustainability at Ducks Unlimited. “Syngenta’s commitment to engaging their teams on sustainability issues strengthens our shared impact. Together, we’re working to promote conservation-minded approaches that protect critical habitats, support biodiversity and ensure a resilient future for agriculture.”

The grand prize winner, Ross Frey, is an NK Seeds sales representative for Syngenta based in Pennsylvania. Every acre of his roughly 1,000-acre family farm showcases sustainable practices like continuous no-till, cover crops, and living cover over the winter months. His hog barns have rainwater collection systems for capturing and saving water for use in the summer months when water demands are higher. The Frey family has also installed new terrace systems, waterways and conservation buffers to help minimize soil and nutrient runoff. Highlighting the importance of advocacy in environmental conservation, Ross’ farm is a founding member and active participant in the Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance, an organization with a mission to promote the successful application of no-till through shared ideas, experiences, education and new technology.

Living in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, Ross says the pressure to be more conservation-focused has been increasing, and as a family and community, the Frey family has embraced it. Since implementing these practices, the Frey family has visually observed less runoff into the waterways and more wildlife utilizing their farm. In addition, the family has seen an increase in conservation practices in their area as their advocacy with the Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance and field demonstrations gain more attention.

The employee engagement program also served as an outlet for staff to bring their ideas and passion into the Syngenta business — a step already in the works for Ross. During his time at Syngenta with the NK Seeds sales team, he developed a trial focused on determining the best and most environmentally beneficial species of cover crop to be planted in this region. In the future, he hopes to use this data to support an argument for increased cover crop usage in the area while increasing his seed sales.

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