Sustainability is a hot topic around food production these days. Food companies frequently hijack the word for a marketing advantage, but it’s far more than a buzzword for us.

Sustainability drives our business decisions from one season to the next: A farmer or rancher who doesn’t know the value of sustainability isn’t likely to be in business very long. And yet when food companies and self-proclaimed food experts embrace the term, they too often leave the majority of farmers and ranchers out of the discussion and go after the very tools we’re using to protect everyone’s water, air and soil.

Our industry is all about innovation, and cutting-edge technologies have changed the landscape of America’s farmland for the better. We have made great strides in...