Press Release •  9/20/2021

Corteva Agriscience Announces Winners for 2021 Climate Positive Leaders Program

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Seventeen Winners and Runners-up Recognized for Their Successful Adoption and Advocacy for Sustainability Practices

WILMINGTON, Del. – September 20, 2021 – Corteva, Inc.(NYSE: CTVA) today announced the winners in its Climate Positive Leaders Program, a nomination-based farmer and rancher recognition initiative designed to showcase early adopter producers who are successfully implementing, scaling and sharing climate positive practices. Representing Australia, Brazil, Canada, Kenya and the United States, these farmers have adopted a wide range of innovative systems and approaches that uniquely support their productivity goals while protecting the land and water.

Farmers were nominated by regional third-parties including grower groups, nonprofit organizations, universities or other technology assistance partners, and were judged by a panel of agriculture industry leaders based on program criteria. The nine winners will receive lifetime membership, training and other benefits from Global Farmer Network; soil sampling, carbon sequestration measurement, and guidance from the Carbon Management and Sequestration Center (CMASC) at the Ohio State University; and opportunities to share their proven successes with other farmers. The eight runners-up will also work with the team at CMASC and receive soil sampling and soil health guidance.

“Even before Corteva Agriscience introduced the concept of climate positive agriculture at the World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue in 2018, we have worked diligently to provide the innovative seed, crop protection, digital technology and agronomic expertise our farmers need to successfully adopt sustainable on-farm practices,” said James C. Collins, Jr., Chief Executive Officer, Corteva Agriscience. “I am pleased to recognize and honor these farmers who have clearly demonstrated that sustainability does not come at the expense of profit or productivity. They have made a measurable impact in advancing climate positive agriculture and I welcome the opportunity to share their stories for the benefit of farmers and all food system stakeholders around the world.”

2021 Climate Positive Leaders Program Winners

Australia

Jake Ryan – a mixed cropping/livestock producer in Manjimup, Western Australia, using holistic grazing, minimal tillage, cover cropping, and mineral nutrition to produce a wide variety of winter vegetables, cereal and oilseed commodity crops, ewes for wool and lamb production, first cross Angus Friesian heifers, and pasture-raised laying hens.

Brazil

Charles Peeters – a farmer in Montividiu, Goiás State, Brazil, who uses no-till with a plant nutrient and soil coverage management system for rotational soybeans, corn, and cattle.

Abilio Rodrigues Pacheco – a farmer and forestry researcher in Cachoeira Dourada, Goiás State, Brazil, who has implemented an integrated crop, livestock and forestry system to produce soybeans, corn, millet, eucalyptus trees, grass, and beef cattle. 

Canada

Kristjan Hebert – a farmer in Fairlight, Saskatchewan, who applies no till, variable rate input management, cover and rotational cropping to produce canola, fall rye, malt barley, hard red spring wheat, oats, and peas.

Kenya

Felix Kili – a farmer in Eldoret, Rift Valley, Kenya, using minimal tillage and crop residue preservation techniques that retain moisture for primary crops including maize, barley, wheat, and oilseed rape, as well as cover crops such as sun hemp, sunflower, and canola.

USA

Ryan Speer – a farmer in Sedgwick, Kansas, who produces corn, beans, milo, wheat, cotton, and cover crops, ensuring there is a living root in all acres 365 days a year to prevent soil erosion.

Bill Couser – a farmer in Nevada, Iowa, who grows commercial corn, soybeans, alfalfa, sorghum, and oats, and works with state universities, technology innovators and equipment manufacturers to leave more nutrients in the field.  

Brad Clark – a row crop and dairy cow producer in Bagley, Wisconsin, who has implemented never-till, block planting and perennial vegetation practices to raise soybeans, barley, rye, and wheat as commodity crops, and corn and alfalfa as cattle feed.

Harold Grall – a farmer in Dumas, Texas, managing irrigated and dryland acres producing corn, grain sorghum and wheat with very limited tillage to preserve residue along with water conservation measures to protect the Ogallala Aquifer.

For more information, visit https://www.corteva.com/sustainability/climatepositive/leaders-program.html

About Corteva

Corteva, Inc. (NYSE: CTVA) is a publicly traded, global pure-play agriculture company that provides farmers around the world with the most complete portfolio in the industry - including a balanced and diverse mix of seed, crop protection and digital solutions focused on maximizing productivity to enhance yield and profitability. With some of the most recognized brands in agriculture and an industry-leading product and technology pipeline well positioned to drive growth, the company is committed to working with stakeholders throughout the food system as it fulfills its promise to enrich the lives of those who produce and those who consume, ensuring progress for generations to come. Corteva Agriscience became an independent public company on June 1, 2019 and was previously the Agriculture Division of DowDuPont. More information can be found at www.corteva.com.

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09/20/2021

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Corteva Media Contact:

Kacey Birchmier
kacey.birchmier@corteva.com
515-305-0085