Sustainability Report 2016 . 2017 44 Customers The Customers field of action focuses on the aspects plant cultivation, product management, digitisation and customer training. The relevant goals include:Goals 2020 – We aim to:2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 ... incorporate sustainability aspects into product man-agement and product evaluation. X X X ... offer further training measures for customers. X X X ...carry out a regular customer survey on company-rel-evant issues. X = met; = partially met; = not met; x = ongoing objective One of the aims of the AGRAVIS sustainability programme is to incorporate sustainability-relevant aspects into pro- duct management and evaluation. This goal was completely met. An example of such measures includes the im- plementation and introduction of innovative Feeding the Future feed concepts for pigs and cattle and the calcu- lation of the ecological footprint for pig feed. Regular training events and further training programmes are offered to customers by the Terres Academy and by the AGRAVIS Feedstuff Department and AGRAVIS Plant Cultivation Consultation. In 2015, a survey was conducted among cooperative customers and a stakeholder survey was carried out on sustainability-relevant topics in 2017. Plant cultivation The AGRAVIS Plant Cultivation Consultation team offers farmers professional support for sustainable use of their land. AGRAVIS is undertaking extensive trials at several locations throughout its entire operational area to pro-vide such support while guaranteeing regional reference. The type of trials ranges from conventional variety and product tests through to more complex crop growing trials which examine numerous issues related to efficient, resource-conserving arable farming. Some 15,000 trial plots tackle questions which farmers ask themselves during their daily work:• What is the right crop variety for my location?• How can I supply my wheat with nutrients to an optimal extent?• What sowing density can I use to optimise my maize crop?• Which crop protection strategy is best for the conditions on my land?• How can I prevent resistances?It is important to examine such topics systematically based on scientific standards to give answers to these and other questions. Advice during the season is largely based on the insights which have been gained during trials. Besides conventional plant cultivation challenges which a farmer needs to meet, there is also a need to address changes to the legal framework conditions and tackle them during trials. One issue which has currently generated demand for advisory service across the agricultural sector is the amended German fertiliser legislation. New statutory requirements ensure that livestock farming operations review and adapt their nutrient management. The large number of statutory regulations, which also affect operations in other segments in the agriculture sector, make it almost impossible for smaller businesses to deal with all require-ments right down to the last detail. For this reason, people also approach local cooperatives as a dialogue partner for such issues, aside from the actual retail business. Plant Cultivation Consultation and AGRAVIS as a whole assist its cooperative partners and farmers in this respect by providing consultation, lectures, information documents and increasingly digital software solutions. The trials also form a crucial component in this connection. New strategies and possibilities for efficient plant nutrition are tested and evaluated there to give a qualified recommendation once trials are complete.