Leading Harvest
Sustainability Standard

Leading Harvest is a coalition of public and private leaders from conservation, investment, agriculture, and research brought together to build a rigorous yet flexible sustainability standard. With such diverse soils, crops and farming operations across the country, the freedom to innovate is key to the standard. A third-party auditor ensures transparency assurance for the end-use consumer.

Leading Harvest Standard Users

Standard users believe landowners and producers have a responsibility to protect farmland for today and future generations. This means meeting today’s demands for food, fuel and fiber production while also protecting our rural communities and collective natural resources. They seek to apply regional agricultural best management practices on managed farmland and promote regenerative practices to advance sustainable agriculture.

Leading Harvest Sustainability Principles

Consistent with these responsibilities, Standard users shall have a written policy (or policies) demonstrating their commitment to implement and achieve the following principles:

principle 1 SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

To practice sustainable agriculture to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This means practicing a farmland stewardship ethic that integrates profitable agricultural production with efficient use of inputs; the conservation of natural resources, including farmland; attention to climate change and land rights; and consideration for tenants, employees, contract workers, Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

principle 2 SOIL HEALTH AND CONSERVATION

To maintain or enhance long-term soil health and soil productivity and to protect soil from degradation.

principle 3 PROTECTION OF WATER RESOURCES

To conserve and protect groundwater and surface water resources by managing impacts from water use and runoff.

principle 4 PROTECTION OF CROPS

To ensure long-term crop productivity by appropriate use of crop protectants while protecting the environment.

principle 5 ENERGY USE, AIR QUALITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

To increase use of energy-efficient agricultural practices and equipment and to minimize atmospheric emissions.

principle 6 WASTE AND MATERIAL MANAGEMENT

To promote the efficient production of agricultural products and to minimize waste by seeking other uses of waste.

principle 7 CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY

To manage farmland in a manner that maintains agricultural production while conserving biological diversity—including animal and plant species, wildlife habitats and natural or ecological community types—and avoids habitat conversion.

principle 8 PROTECTION OF SPECIAL SITES

To manage farmland that is geologically or culturally important in a manner that considers its unique qualities.

principle 9 LOCAL COMMUNITIES

To contribute to the economy and well-being of rural communities through jobs, local purchases, other contributions, efforts to maintain community health and safety, and by respecting land and resource rights of local communities and Indigenous Peoples.

principle 10 EMPLOYEES AND FARM LABOR

To provide a safe and respectful working environment, fair compensation and training for employees; contract management company employees; and farm labor necessary to improve the practice of sustainable agriculture.

principle 11 LEGAL AND REGULATORY COMPLIANCE

To comply with applicable federal, state and local agricultural and related laws, statutes and regulations.

principle 12 MANAGEMENT REVIEW AND CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT

To continually improve the practice of agricultural management and to monitor, measure and report performance in achieving the commitment to sustainable agriculture.

principle 13 TENANT-OPERATED OPERATIONS

To promote the application of regional agricultural best management practices on tenant-operated farmland.

Peoples Company enrolls all its managed farms in Leading Harvest

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Third-party assurance that farms are being operated sustainably
Potential premium returns as end users seek more sustainably grown crops
Knowledge that Peoples Company managed farms will be productive for future generations