Voiceover (00:06):

Resource Positive Agriculture describes what we all want, a food and farming system which makes full and responsible use of the natural world. In this podcast, I’ll explore how agriculture can be a force for good on everything from the environment to people and our society.

John Mesko (00:31):

Welcome, welcome. This is John Mesko, and I am the host of the Resource Positive Agriculture podcast. And we’re here today to talk with somebody who’s had a lot of experience in sustainability, somebody who’s making a big impact in sustainability, and that’s Jolyn Rasmussen, who is the global agronomy services senior manager for J.R. Simplot and is also, for the purposes of our call today, is also currently the chair of the PSA Board of Directors, finishing up her second year of a two-year term. So welcome, Jolyn.

Jolyn Rasmussen (01:07):

Thank you, John. It’s great to be here.

John Mesko (01:10):

I’ve had the pleasure of working with you now for two years. Even more than that. I started in the middle of 2021. You were the vice chair of the PSA board at the time, and so we’ve been working together in various capacities now for two and a half years, approximately. And one of the things that has really been important in the work of PSA, and in your work, particularly, in leadership in just the most recent past, is this notion of PSA as a pre-competitive alliance, a nonprofit organization that comes alongside the industry to help facilitate the conversation around sustainability. And that’s just a broad overview of us.

(01:59):

I’m curious to hear from you how that is important. Why is that important? Is that the right way for an organization to function in this discussion? What are some of the things you’ve learned about? And maybe I don’t have to ask you all the questions right now. I’ll just get your thoughts on PSA as a nonprofit, pre-competitive alliance, and the importance of that.

Jolyn Rasmussen (02:25):

Sure. I think that PSA is a very unique organization, especially when you look at other industries. Where PSA is, for one, it’s across the US and Canada, so it’s the North American potato industry. But really working together as an industry and keeping sustainability pre-competitive, I think that’s how it’s really going to be the most efficient for the growers. It’s going to have the greatest impact.

(02:56):

If we start competing as an industry on sustainability, I think that would be very challenging for growers to meet. If every one of their customers has a different standard or definition of sustainability, that would be very challenging for growers in order to meet those metrics. But also, then the growers would be working on paperwork instead of actually making improvements on the farm and thinking about how to improve. So I think it being pre-competitive keeps us all on the same page and lifts us as an entire industry, instead of each of us trying to do something piecemeal on our own.

John Mesko (03:45):

Yeah. And I think something that you said there really resonates with me, and it’s the entire industry. So we have processors, of course, as you know, fresh marketers. We have farmers that are part of our community and supporting this, but also we have NGOs, like The Nature Conservancy or Pheasants Forever. We have organizations that come alongside, what we call allied industry. Companies that have a product or a service that they use, or sell to support the production of potatoes, and other crops, for that matter. And this idea of the entire value chain being involved, I don’t know if you could talk a little bit about how that has impacted our work in your time, having so many different perspectives at the table.

Jolyn Rasmussen (04:35):

Sure, absolutely. So I think that, for one, you have the actual companies that have all different perspectives and needs, but you also have individuals with all different backgrounds. And so being able to work together and discuss, learn from each other, think about how we can really move sustainability forward for the industry has been incredibly beneficial.

(05:03):

It’s not only the processors that have different perspectives, but being able to interact with the NGOs, and being able to connect our grower board members as well as other grower organizations to these NGOs and the programs that are out there, and really thinking, discussing, conversing, and aligning around what sustainability really means for the potato industry and how we can have the greatest impact.

(05:32):

It’s not only the backgrounds of these people. It’s also the geographic diversity. We all know growing potatoes in the West is quite different than the Midwest or the East, and so there are certain sustainability topics, especially something like water, that are very regional-oriented. And so being able to discuss as an entire industry, but then really be able to regionalize as needed in order to tackle some of these issues and discuss them as an industry.

John Mesko (06:14):

Well, I think you bring up a really good point about the geographic differences and the regionalization. And water’s a great example. At PSA, we bring everyone to the table, and everybody brings that perspective of where they’re located and the issues and priorities in those regions. And we’re endeavoring to create a program that defines, elevates, and communicates sustainability progress in potato production. And it looks differently in different places. And I think we could not do that if we were just locked in an echo chamber with a handful of people and said, “Okay, here’s the way we’re going to do this.” Having those diverse perspectives is essential.

(07:00):

And I would say, in my time with PSA, you have been a constant drumbeat of let’s keep moving forward, let’s keep moving forward. And we certainly have needed that, but I’d also say that your ability to recognize that having an industry-wide alliance that is representative of the entire value chain, but is also trying to address regional issues, causes us to move a little more slowly than maybe we would if we were not so concerned about being a balanced, industry-wide alliance. I mean, tell me your thoughts on that. What’s been your experience balancing the need for us to make progress and the need for us to make sure everyone is included, and their issues and experiences and needs are included?

Jolyn Rasmussen (08:00):

Well, I think that PSA is very good at making sure that the members are engaged and communicating. That’s one of the most challenging parts, is making sure everybody’s being heard. But then I think everybody has it in the culture of the organization, and everybody lives by this too, is we’re not always all going to get exactly what we came to the table to get, right? We’re going to have to have compromises. We have to talk through these things, and know that ultimately we all want to move forward.

(08:40):

And so yes, we have the open communication and dialogue about what the issues are, concerns are, and they’re heard and we work together to figure out, well, how do we move forward? And sometimes that’s a compromise. And I think that the organization and the culture of the organization is really aligned around that, remembering if we only wanted to get our agenda done, then we would just do it internally instead of coming to the table as an organization.

(09:14):

And I think with your leadership of the organization as the executive director, you’ve done a great job of making sure that the forums are there, the meetings are there, that we’re structuring the committees properly so that people can be heard and have a voice at the table.

John Mesko (09:35):

Well, I think what that does, and what motivates me to do it, is that improves the credibility of whatever the results are. So if we don’t have the right structure, if we don’t have the right meetings or communications platforms, or people are not informed or not participating, then the credibility of what the results are is questioned.

Jolyn Rasmussen (09:55):

Absolutely.

John Mesko (09:56):

So yeah. I think we’ve worked really well together as a team, and also as an entire alliance. All of our members, over 30 members now strong, really contributing to the discussion. It’s really been rewarding for me. It’s kind of a new thing for me to be involved in, and I’m excited to continue to be a part of it.

(10:17):

But one of the things I wanted to ask you a little bit about, Jolyn, as you think about the work that you’ve done in sustainability, the work that you’ve done at PSA, and as we think about what the future holds. The last couple of years, a big emphasis at PSA was building the organization, and then building the program so that we can do our work. But now, going forward, we want to continue to be relevant. We want to continue to be addressing the evolving nature of sustainability. The conversation around sustainability just keeps growing and encompassing more and more topics and issue areas.

(10:58):

Particularly in potatoes, but then also in agriculture in general, where do you see us going in sustainability? What are some of the issues that are on your radar, either in your work or in your interest or your experience around sustainability that are going to be at the forefront, that are maybe not there today, but in the next five years or so, are things that PSA and other contributors to the discussion need to be thinking about?

Jolyn Rasmussen (11:26):

Well, with the program we’ve built, and starting very near-term, we’re going to be reporting some metrics on where the potato industry as a whole is doing really well in this space, and where there are opportunities. So I think that that, for one, is going to allow us to develop how we work with the growers, how we become regionally targeted on some of these issues, and again, drive the entire industry as a whole to improve. So I think that’s going to be a big success in the next few months.

(12:11):

And then after that, I think we’re starting to gain a lot of momentum in getting the entire industry working together. I think we’re gaining credibility. We’re gaining visibility to the industry and to the entire supply chain, and so I see that our membership… People are going to see what we’re doing and want to join. I think it’s going to come pretty naturally. So I see that being in the next couple of years.

(12:42):

In terms of sustainability more broadly and longer term, I think there are so many technologies that are out there. I mean, when you think about just the driverless tractors, all of that technology that’s out there, I think it’s just going to continue to help us improve. And when I say improve, I think of sustainability as largely around efficiencies. If we want to be sustainable in terms of producing food for the people, we need to have these efficiencies and supply chain resiliency, and so we need to make sure that our growers have these tools in their toolbox.

(13:29):

So whether that’s technology, like equipment technology, biological technologies, with all the biopesticides, et cetera coming, or variety development, conventional or other technology and variety development, I think those are things that this industry is going to need. And it’s really going to drive efficiencies so that we can produce more fries per acre as a Simplot person, or in general, just more food per acre with the same inputs. So I see sustainability being … There’s going to be some natural improvements, just in efficiencies, that are really going to help us in terms of our carbon impact, et cetera, per 100 weight of potatoes or per bushel of corn.

(14:19):

And then there are also other things that can also help us. I think we’ll see where the carbon markets go in cover crops and carbon sequestering. I hope that as that evolves, that we will really be able to connect corporations who want to make a difference and sequester carbon… Be able to connect that to the grower who can actually have an impact on sequestering carbon.

(14:47):

So sustainability, I see it’s really going to evolve in the next five years or 10 years. And I ultimately think it’s really about working with the farms, making sure that we’re working with them. Not telling them what to do, but working with them on finding the solutions.

John Mesko (15:07):

Yeah, I think you’re right. A lot of the goals that have been set in the ag community by companies, and suggested goals from public companies or even government agencies, have centered around timeframes, like we’re going to do X by the year 2030. And it wasn’t that long ago we were talking about 2025. And of course, there’s the 2050 number that gets tossed about because of the projections that some have around population growth and so forth.

(15:42):

And every year that goes by, we get closer and closer to those end dates. We get closer and closer to trying to understand, have we met the goal? Was the goal the right goal, first of all? Have we met that goal? And if not, is it a matter of we can’t meet the goal or we’re making progress, but we’re just not going to make it on time or whatever the case may be. And many of our members have set particular goals around carbon or water, whatever the case may be.

(16:17):

And I think that one of the challenges that faces an industry that sets a goal or multiple goals, 10 or 20 or 30 years down the road, is a lot of the people that are working to work towards that now may not be working when that deadline comes. They may not be actively engaged in that work. So we have to have a community that owns those collective goals, targets, priorities, so that as new workers come in to work in that, as new people move into the roles of agronomy managers and nonprofit leaders and so forth, that they are embracing that culture of advancing and, to your words, efficiency, and continue to carry that forward.

Jolyn Rasmussen (17:12):

Absolutely.

John Mesko (17:14):

And I think one of the challenges that we have to think about, particularly in agriculture, is whenever we talk about sustainability, there’s still a pretty sizable segment of our community that really equates that with strictly an environmental or naturalist kind of discussion. And you said something that really caught my attention just a minute ago, where you think of it as efficiency and being able to produce more food per acre or whatever the case may be. And I think as we change this narrative around what does it mean to be sustainable, to focus on some of the things that you said, efficiencies and being able to increase productivity so that we can feed a growing world, I think those are also really critical needs as we go forward.

Jolyn Rasmussen (18:13):

Yes. And then sometimes I think too, there’s our First World… When you think about our economy and our society, who’s willing to pay considerable premiums for what they perceive to be better for the environment or more sustainable, which generally, you lose efficiency for those products, then I think about, well, it’s not just people with robust grocery budgets that we’re talking about. You have to really think globally, and there are lots of people in this world that can’t afford 5% more to pay for what they believe is sustainable or better for the environment. And so that’s why, as a society, there are opportunities to improve how we minimize the impact on the environment with our food system. But we have to make sure that we’re doing that in a cost-effective way so that everybody can have access to the quality food that we produce.

John Mesko (19:28):

Well, it has to work for everybody. We can’t have two parallel food systems, one for wealthy people and one for people of lesser means. We have to have a food system that works for everybody. And that’s kind of a statement that could also be included in a definition of sustainability. If it doesn’t work for everybody, then it’s not sustainable.

Jolyn Rasmussen (19:53):

Correct.

John Mesko (19:54):

So yeah, I think you’re absolutely right. We have the luxury in the United States, and in much of North America, of having productivity that surpasses the output of any one person. Collectively, we produce a lot of food. But as you said, the technologies and the resources that are being developed are impacting worldwide. We’re seeing production rise up in other areas of the world as well. So our conversation is working, and we’re advancing.

(20:32):

So Jolyn, this has been a great conversation. I really have appreciated working with you, but also working to enhance the work of the organization so that we can take on some of these new initiatives and new areas into the future. Anything that you’d like to share with our listeners about where you see things going, or where you’re headed in your new role there at J.R. Simplot?

Jolyn Rasmussen (21:01):

Well, one thing to add on is we have to remember that agriculture is the backbone to the American economy, right? So we have a strong economy because we have a strong production system, and so we need to really keep ag strong. And so sustainability and continuous improvement mindset is what’s going to get us there. And so we have to make sure that sustainability is an industry conversation and not just a finger-pointing conversation, and make sure it’s driven into our culture and our society. So there’s that.

(21:43):

In terms of sustainability, in my new role globally, I enjoy traveling to other countries because it makes me appreciate the US, for one, especially the food, but I think also to see how strong the US economy is. We always have to remember that we’re starting in a really good place when we talk about sustainability. Our ag system is sustainable. It’s been around a long time. There are always opportunities for improvement.

(22:21):

And I’m excited for the momentum that PSA is building to really help growers identify where they can improve and to move this conversation along. But I’m hoping that one opportunity, potentially, for PSA in the future is maybe we take this to the other countries that we work in, and impact even more growers and the bigger potato industry, beyond US and Canada. There are opportunities there, but if we get this structure right, can we also drive improvement in those countries?

John Mesko (23:06):

Wow. That’s a great vision and a great goal. I like what you said. Sustainability and focus on continuous improvement will be what gets us there. And when I think of there, I’m thinking of all the hopes and dreams we’ve had as a society for sustainable food production and a food system that works for everyone. And that focus is going to be really important.

(23:28):

And the other thing you said, which I thought was really, really good, is that we’re starting from a good place. It is too often that we get down on ourselves and we are thinking, “Oh no, things are just terrible.” The reality is we have a good start, and we should continue to leverage that good place and build and go forward.

Jolyn Rasmussen (23:48):

Yes, I agree.

John Mesko (23:51):

All right. Well, Jolyn, thank you. Again, I’m John Mesko, and I’ve been speaking with Jolyn Rasmussen, who is currently the chair of the PSA Board of Directors. Thank you, Jolyn, for your time today.

Jolyn Rasmussen (24:03):

Thank you.

John Mesko (24:04):

All right, folks. This is the Resource Positive Agriculture podcast. Thank you for listening, and stay positive.

Voiceover (24:17):

Thanks for tuning into today’s episode. To hear more podcasts like this, please rate, review, and subscribe to Resource Positive Agriculture. We want to hear from you. Remember to visit potatosustainability.org for show notes from this episode, leave your feedback, and to learn more about how PSA is collaborating for potato sustainability. Thank you. And remember, stay positive.