AgroPages-Land O'Lakes Joins America's Cultivation Corridor-Agricultural news

America's Cultivation Corridor announced that Land O'Lakes, Inc., has joined the Corridor as a stakeholder. Matt Carstens, Senior Vice President of Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN, will also join the Corridor's Board of Directors.

Investors and partners of America's Cultivation Corridor are working together to accelerate the development of new technologies, strengthen Iowa's ag bioscience workforce, and attract economic development, all focused on meeting the challenge of feeding a growing world population in a sustainable way.

"We are excited to welcome Land O'Lakes as a stakeholder to America's Cultivation Corridor," said Charles Sukup, President of Sukup Manufacturing, Co. "Together we are working to elevate Iowa's status as the leading region for the research, development and commercialization of new innovations in agriculture."

"Farmers are expert innovators, world-class entrepreneurs and a core pillar of Iowa's economy," said Carstens. "As one of America's largest farmer-owned cooperatives, Land O'Lakes works hard every day to support farmer-led innovation, and we are thrilled to participate in America's Cultivation Corridor to help strengthen economic resiliency for the American farmer and American agriculture, starting here in Iowa."

Land O'Lakes, Inc., one of America's premier agribusiness and food companies, is a member-owned cooperative with industry-leading operations that span the spectrum from agricultural production to consumer foods. With 2018 annual sales of $15 billion, Land O'Lakes is one of the nation's largest cooperatives, ranking 212 on the Fortune 500.

Building on a legacy of more than 98 years of operation, Land O'Lakes today operates some of the most respected brands in agribusiness and food production including LAND O LAKES Dairy Foods, Purina Animal Nutrition, WinField United and Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN. The company does business in all 50 states and more than 60 countries. Land O'Lakes, Inc. corporate headquarters are located in Arden Hills, Minn.

Other stakeholders of the Cultivation Corridor include Iowa State University, Corteva Agriscience, Deere & Company, Greater Des Moines Partnership, Iowa Pork Producers, Kent Corporation, MidAmerican Energy, Ames Economic Development Corporation, Iowa Corn Promotion Board, Iowa Farm Bureau, ISG, Kemin, REG, Sukup Manufacturing, Co., Summit Agriculture and Vermeer Corporation.

Iowa's agriculture industry includes global leaders in all sectors - advanced manufacturing, agricultural processing, animal health, biobased processing and fuels, plant sciences, predictive agriculture and more - as well as start-up companies with new technologies that will boost productivity, animal care and sustainability for farmers in Iowa and around the world.