Sustainability is a hot topic, especially as Iowa farmers take on the challenge of improving water quality. A program recently launched by Land O’ Lakes hopes to help farmers not only meet the goals of the strategy, but to improve soil health and yields.

"In a world of $3.50 corn, we need a way to make sustainability meaningful and profitable for farmers," Molly Toot, senior manager of sustainability for Land O’ Lakes, told farmers at a meeting hosted by Linn Co-op Oil Company last week in Cedar Rapids.

The program, called Sustain, helps farmers think about ways in which they can focus conservation and...