When we think about sustainability, a lot of images come to mind—wind turbines, solar panels, paper straws—but there’s one aspect that we often overlook. To sustain anything, we need people who are willing to take up the torch and continue the work we start.

At ARM & HAMMER™, we know how important it is to invest in the future of the food production system. That’s why we partner with Targeting Excellence, a non-profit organization that sponsors events that bring together professional leaders with students in the food production system for the purpose of building personal relationships, exchanging ideas, and improving communications, while raising funds for scholarships.

A partnership a decade in the making.

Our #ScienceHearted team has been working with Targeting Excellence for nearly a decade now. We started by supporting scholarships and events for dairy students and have since expanded to support students and scholarships in the poultry, swine, and food production industries. We’re proud to be one of Targeting Excellence’s Top 100 Donors, but our work and commitment to their cause goes beyond monetary support.

It's a two-fold relationship: we mentor students and support their academic and professional journey, but we’re also able to see what the next generation of food production system professionals are taking interest in. What are they studying? What research are they most excited about? What are their aspirations? The students we meet embody what it means to be #ScienceHearted.

Building relationships across the industry.

Through Targeting Excellence, we meet students from all around the globe. At a recent sporting clay event hosted by Targeting Excellence, I was partnered with two poultry students, one from Brazil and one from Mexico. I was able to hear what was going on in the industry in their home countries and they got to experience a new sport and meet professionals they can lean on as they dive deeper into their academic and professional journeys.

The events sponsored by Targeting Excellence give us the opportunity to make that first connection with students, but it doesn’t stop there. If students have questions, they reach out to us even when they’ve finished their degrees. When we’re at events, the students we’ve met seek us out to catch up and let us know what they’ve been up to. We’ve had poultry clubs and other student organizations reach out to us to be guest speakers and we’re happy to do it! The agriculture industry is truly a relationship-based industry and who you know can make all the difference in your career.

Join us in supporting a sustainable future.

We are committed to charting a sustainability course forward that addresses the real needs of our customers and the world, and that starts with investing in the future of the food production system. To learn more about Targeting Excellence and support its efforts, visit www.targetingexcellence.org.