Smart Land Use

We work to keep our land healthy so it can do what it was made to do – sustain us.

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Farmers and forest landowners are stewards of the land. They’re smart with how they use, care for and protect resources entrusted in their care.

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It takes 72% less land to raise poultry today than in 1965.

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Cover crops, which are planted in winter between growing seasons for crops such as cotton, improve the soil, reduce weeds, improve water filtration and increase organic matter. 

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Crop rotation (alternately planting crops such as peanuts and cotton or strawberries and other produce) reduces soil erosion and improves water quality. These practices reduce or even eliminate tillage — or turning over the soil. Healthier soil means cleaner air and water as farmers trap carbon in the soil and reduce runoff.

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With rotational grazing, cattle are routinely moved to different pastures. This allows grass and other forages, their primary sources of nutrition, to naturally regrow. 

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By grazing, cattle expand the land available for food production. They consume forages on non-arable lands unsuitable for other food crops.

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Specialty crop growers use greenhouses to raise fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants in a sheltered, temperature-controlled environment. These farmers also use plasticulture and drip irrigation to grow crops outside. Plasticulture naturally reduces weeds.