Earlier this week, American Farmland Trust (AFT), a national nonprofit that helps to keep American farmers on their land, launched a new U.S. Farmed certification and packaging seal for products that derive at least 95% of their agricultural ingredients from farms in the United States. Anheuser-Busch, announced that it is the first mover in adopting the U.S. Farmed certification and seal for several of its beer brands.
“American farmers are the backbone of this country, and Anheuser-Busch has been deeply connected to the U.S. agricultural community and committed to sourcing high-quality ingredients from U.S. farmers for more than 165 years – that’s who we are,” said Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth. “We source nearly all the ingredients in our iconic American beers from hard-working U.S. farmers – many of whom we have worked with for generations. The U.S. Farmed certification takes our commitment to the next level, and we are proud to lead the industry in rallying behind American farmers to ensure the future of U.S. agriculture, which is crucial to our country’s economy. We look forward to other companies joining us in seeking U.S. Farmed certification for their products so that together we can make an even greater impact and show our support for American farmers.”
Aimed at transforming the way consumers
identify and shop for domestically sourced products, the seal will first appear on Anheuser-Busch’s Busch Light this May, and Budweiser, Bud Light and Michelob ULTRA have also obtained U.S. Farmed certification. Consumers are empowered to purchase U.S. Farmed certified products to benefit American farmers and invest in the future of domestic ingredient sourcing, helping to ensure a vibrant and thriving agricultural sector in America for generations to come.
The U.S. Farmed certification comes at a critical moment for American agriculture. According to AFT, within the next 15 years, ownership of over 30 percent of our nation’s agricultural land could be in transition as the current generation of farmers prepares to retire. At the same time, farmland loss threatens the very foundation of our agricultural capacity, and new and beginning farmers are often challenged to secure the capital needed to enter agriculture. The U.S. Farmed certification will address this challenge head on by providing growers with access to the direct support needed to pursue their options for maintaining and protecting their farmland, as well as innovative strategies for transitioning their land to the next generation of farmers.
“The U.S. Farmed certification takes our commitment to the next level, and we are proud to lead the industry in rallying behind American farmers to ensure the future of U.S. agriculture, which is crucial to our country’s economy,” Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth said in a statement.
Along with the U.S. Farmed certification, Anheuser-Busch is also rolling out a "Choose Beer Grown Here" marketing campaign, in hopes to recapture conservative consumers after the backlash they faced last year over the Dylan Mulvaney partnership.
For more information on the U.S. Farmed certification and seal, including resources for American Farmers and product certification, please visit http://www.farmland.org/us-farmed.
ABOUT AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST
American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through our No Farms, No Food message. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 7.8 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres and supported thousands of farm families. Learn more at www.farmland.org.
