The Anheuser-Busch Foundation on Monday announced donations to support agriculture research to enhance sustainable farming practices at three land grant universities around the nation. Funding will support research at their model farms operated by North Dakota State University, Montana State University, and the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. These model farms were launched to encourage the development of novel farming techniques to promote sustainability and long-term solutions.
The model farm research seeks to answer key questions around soil, health, water conservation, cover cropping, tillage, rotations, and other agriculture practices to enhance cultivator education and the advancement of more sustainable techniques.
The work being done at these research universities is essential as the industry seeks ways to enhance sustainability while enhancing yields and farm profitability, said John Rogers, U.S. Chief Sustainability and Procurement Officer at Anheuser-Busch.
As part of its commitment to the local cultivators that are the core of its success, it is significant for them to be a part of the efforts that move the industry ahead, said Rogers.
He added that the company is honoured to continue its partnerships with these universities to support the world and support their cultivators to continue to flourish.
The donations will aim at the following regions:
- North Dakota State University: The Anheuser-Busch Foundation will commit $55,000 to their network of Soil Health and Agriculture Research and Extension (SHARE) Farms to continue nitrogen rate studies, soil health-cover crops, and authorize novel baseline recommendations for barley, further circulate SHARE Farm data to farmers by increasing the university’s “Soil Sense and the Field Check” podcast on a nation-wide level.
- Montana State University: The university will obtain a $43,200 contribution for research into the effects that soil acidification has on barley yields, support a hyperspectral analysis of preharvest sprouting damage, including the remote sensing of drought, stress, and pH tolerance in diverse barley variations.
- University of Arkansas: The $25,000 commitment from the Anheuser-Busch Foundation, with a $25,000 match from the AB InBev Foundation, will further authorize the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture to work with its system of Discovery Farms to assess the effect of conservation practices and advance industrywide solutions to combat surplus fertilizer usage and irrigation runoff, supporting a pathway to decarbonize rice production.
Abbey Wick, Associate Professor, Extension Soil Health Specialist at North Dakota State University, said that the company is looking ahead to continuing its efforts to assess and promote shared best practices for soil health.
Wick added through the Foundation’s funding of this continuing research the country’s leading brewer is demonstrating that sustainability and smart agriculture are a priority for everyone.
With support from the Anheuser-Busch Foundation, the team can answer more challenging questions, said Justin M. Vetch, Superintendent and Assistant Professor of Agronomy at Montana State University. The partnership with Anheuser-Busch will help them continue to find ways to sustainably improve yields for its state’s barley cultivators and make a positive effect throughout the greater region.
As key ingredients in the brewing process, Anheuser-Busch acquired more than 37.7 million bushels of barley and 18.3 million bushels of rice directly from U.S. farmers in 2021. As the top producing states of those ingredients, the long-term accomplishment of farms in Arkansas and Montana is crucial to the company’s capability to brew its beers with high-quality ingredients. Through donations to these universities, the Anheuser-Busch Foundation will partner with farmers to promote the advancement of sustainable solutions that will support the continuous improvement, environmental health, and profitability of the agriculture industry.
The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture and specifically the Discovery Farm Program is excited about its continued partnership with Anheuser-Busch to support rice producers in Arkansas to incessantly move toward greater production efficiency and natural resource sustainability, said Mike Daniels, Professor and Extension Soil and Water Conservation Scientist at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
Daniels added that these forms of partnerships offer effective approaches to solving problems that benefit everyone.
About Anheuser-Busch
At Anheuser-Busch, its purpose is to create a future with more cheers. The company is always looking to serve up new ways to meet life’s moments, dream big to move its industry forward, and make a meaningful impact in the world.
The company’s purpose is to create a future with more cheers. It continually serves up new ways to meet life’s moments, dream big to move our industry forward, and make a meaningful impact in the world. Today, it owns and operates more than 120 facilities, including breweries, wholesaler distribution centres, packaging plants, and agricultural facilities, and has more than 19,000 colleagues across the United States.
Anheuser-Busch is home to several of America’s most loved beer and beyond beer brands, including Michelob ULTRA, Stella Artois, Budweiser, Cutwater Spirits, and Bud Light as well as several regional brands that provide beer drinkers with a choice of the best-tasting craft beers in the industry. From responsible drinking programs and emergency drinking water donations to best-in-class sustainability efforts, the company is driven by its unwavering commitment to supporting the communities at large.
About The Anheuser-Busch Foundation
Founded in 1975, the Anheuser-Busch Foundation aims on supporting organizations that help individuals and communities thrive. The Foundation contributes to innumerable community organizations every year in support of disaster preparedness and relief, education, economic development, environmental sustainability, and responsible drinking. Anheuser-Busch and its foundation are connected by an unwavering commitment to supporting the communities that they call home and ever since 2011, Anheuser-Busch and the Anheuser-Busch Foundation have donated more than $221 million to charitable organizations across the nation.