Anheuser-Busch recently announced the national rollout of its newly-adopted U.S. Farmed certification and seal for several of its industry-leading beer brands, showing support for farmers in the United States, including Texas, where the state's farmers sold $32.2B worth of agricultural products in 2022. 

Developed and verified by the American Farmland Trust (AFT), a national nonprofit that helps to keep American farmers on their land, the U.S. Farmed certification and packaging seal helps shoppers choose products that derive at least 95 percent of their agricultural ingredients from farms in the United States.

Anheuser-Busch is a proud supporter of American farmers, including rice farmers in Texas from whom the brewer purchases over $11 million in rice each year for Budweiser and Bud Light. Consumers in Texas are empowered to purchase U.S. Farmed certified products to benefit U.S. 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 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.

Companies across the consumer-packaged goods (CPG) industry are encouraged to join the effort by obtaining U.S. Farmed certification for their domestically-sourced products. AFT will use funds raised through those certifications to expand programs and provide U.S. farmers across all 50 states with free resources and expert advisory services to help them access, protect, and maintain American farmland.

By harnessing the potential of U.S.-sourced goods across the entire CPG industry, the U.S. Farmed certification aims to create a far greater impact for American agriculture than any one company could alone. This industry-wide effort will be supported by an Anheuser-Busch-led campaign, "Choose Beer Grown Here," to encourage consumers to seek the U.S. Farmed certification and seal when shopping for products.

"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.” 

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 the 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 U.S. 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 in Texas and across the country 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 seal, pioneered by AFT and achieved first by Anheuser-Busch, is an incredible testament to the importance of buying products that are locally sourced," said Neal Stoesser, rice farmer at Stoesser Family Farms. "Texas growers are critical to the U.S. economy, and we are excited about the large impact this certification will have on the future of Texan farmlands."

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.

Learn more about Anheuser-Busch's commitment to U.S. farmers here: http://www.anheuser-busch.com/USFarmed.

Anheuser-Busch ranks among Packaging Strategies’ Top 100 Food & Beverage Packaging Companies. You can check out the list here.