Insights from Measure to Improve | July 2026
Message from the CEO
Over the past month, the Measure to Improve team has supported clients preparing for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), continued implementing the USDA Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) Grant, and participated in conversations at both the Agri-Pulse Food & Ag Issues Summit and the Salinas Biological Summit.
These efforts may seem unrelated. One focuses on regulatory preparedness. Another supports growers implementing conservation and regenerative practices. These summits explored topics ranging from agricultural policy and water management to biologicals, innovation, and the future of our food system.
Despite their different focus areas, they all point to the same conclusion.
The future of agriculture depends on resilience.
Throughout the month, that theme surfaced repeatedly. Whether the conversation centered on biologicals, conservation, policy, or supply chains, every stakeholder focused on the same goal: helping agriculture become more resilient.
One statement from the Salinas Biological Summit has stayed with me:
“Growers are not resistant to change. They are resistant to unnecessary risk.”
That observation captures an important truth.
Growers have always embraced innovation when it delivers real value. What they really need are trusted partners, practical support, and the confidence to evaluate new approaches without taking unnecessary risks.
At Measure to Improve, we help organizations prepare for change rather than simply react to it. Whether supporting EPR readiness, conservation initiatives, or evolving sustainability expectations, our focus is on helping clients build the systems, partnerships, and capabilities that position them for long-term success.
Warm regards,
Nikki Cossio
Founder & CEO, Measure to Improve, LLC
This Month’s Insights
Building Resilience Requires Collaboration
Whether discussions focused on policy, water, biologicals, or conservation, one message remained consistent: resilient farms create more resilient businesses and supply chains.
Progress happens when growers, researchers, industry organizations, retailers, and policymakers work together toward shared outcomes.
Innovation Must Earn Grower Confidence
Innovation alone doesn’t drive adoption.
New technologies, biological products, and conservation practices succeed when they provide practical value, reduce uncertainty, and give growers confidence that new approaches will work under real-world conditions.
Progress Starts with Measurement
Better decisions begin with better information.
Organizations that measure meaningful outcomes are better positioned to demonstrate progress, strengthen customer relationships, identify new opportunities, and prepare for what’s next.
Featured Perspective
The Future of Agriculture Depends on Reducing Grower Risk
This month’s perspective explores the common themes that emerged from the Agri-Pulse Food & Ag Issues Summit, the Salinas Biological Summit, and recent conversations across agriculture. The discussions ranged from agricultural policy and water to biologicals and conservation practices, but they all pointed to the same conclusion: The future of agriculture depends on building resilience, and reducing unnecessary risk is how we get there.
Solution Spotlight
Are You Ready?
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Readiness Solution
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) continues to evolve across the United States, and many fresh produce companies are recognizing that successful compliance starts well before reporting deadlines.
The organizations making the greatest progress aren’t waiting for new requirements. They’re taking the time to understand their obligations, organize packaging information, align internal teams, and establish repeatable processes that support future reporting and compliance.
Preparing early reduces uncertainty while building the internal foundation needed to navigate future regulatory requirements with confidence.
Around the Industry
Continue exploring this month’s insights:
Rethinking Sustainability
Every sustainability investment creates an opportunity.
The investment is often easy to measure.
The return is not.
Too often, organizations measure success by the report they submitted or the requirement they fulfilled.
The organizations creating the greatest long-term value ask a different question: How can this sustainability investment strengthen our business, improve decision-making, differentiate our brand, strengthen customer relationships, and better prepare us for what’s next?
