When a United Airlines plane carrying 100 people from Chicago landed in the nation’s capital in December, it became the world’s first commercial flight to operate an engine entirely with sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF.
For production agriculture, which continues to be dominated by family-owned enterprises, this feat reflects much more than a fun fact in aviation history. It’s emblematic of an influx of corporate investment in agricultural-backed sustainability initiatives.
From clean fuel projects to reduced greenhouse gas targets, many big businesses are promoting lofty goals. United Airlines, for example, vowed a 100% reduction in emissions by 2050.
Such attention is placing farmers, and their ability to sequester carbon and produce renewable fuel feedstocks, at the forefront of today’s sustainability movement.
Combine this with the fact that farmers maintain their core mission of feeding and clothing the world, and it’s easy to see why I remain so bullish on farmland values in America. …
