LAND O'Lakes Inc. announced the formal organization of a new business unit — SUSTAIN — that will focus on aligning environmental sustainability efforts across the full Land O'Lakes enterprise.

"Stewardship of the land, water and air has been a hallmark of our farmers for generations, and we're excited to announce a new step forward to serve our members and customers even better and, ultimately, continue our commitment to preserving our resources," Land O'Lakes president and chief executive officer Chris Policinski said. "Our business portfolio, which includes Winfield US crop inputs, Purina animal feed and Land O'Lakes foods, gives us a 'farm-to-fork' view of what sustainability truly means for our industry. We believe that view, partnered with the tools and technology we have developed, will help sustainability practices across the value chain of all our businesses and those of our partners in the industry."

SUSTAIN will focus on helping to ensure sustainable crop production by delivering insights, products and services, enhancing sustainability within the dairy foods and feed businesses and partnering with other entities, including government, to improve efficiency and collaboration on conservation and sustainability programs.

The business will be led by Matt Carstens, who moved from his position as vice president of Ames, Iowa-based United Suppliers Inc. to serve as senior vice president of SUSTAIN. His experience spans retail, wholesale and manufacturing functions in the crop input business. Carstens also was responsible for developing the sustainability business while at United Suppliers.

The seed and crop protection businesses of United Suppliers merged with Land O'Lakes in October 2015 and operate today as Winfield US, a part of Land O'Lakes. A second step will merge United Suppliers' crop nutrient business with Land O'Lakes in late 2017.

Land O'Lakes, which recently announced a new public/private partnership with the state of Minnesota to protect and improve water quality across the state, brings a strong and evolving commitment to do more with less while helping feed a growing global population.

As one of America's premier agribusiness and food companies, Land O'Lakes' operations span the spectrum from agricultural production to consumer foods. With 2015 annual sales of $13 billion, it is one of the nation's largest member-owned cooperatives.

Dating back more than 95 years, Land O'Lakes operates such respected brands in agribusiness and food production as Land O'Lakes Dairy Foods, Purina Animal Nutrition and WinField US. The company does business in all 50 states and more than 60 countries. Its corporate headquarters are located in Arden Hills, Minn.

Volume:88 Issue:08