Privately-owned global food company Cargill is supporting farmer-led efforts to adopt regenerative agriculture practices across 10 million acres (four million hectares) of North American farmland in the next ten years. The initiative will focus primarily on row crop rotations including corn, wheat, canola and soybeans and other staple crops, to benefit the long-term profitability and resiliency of farmers and build on the company’s 2030 climate commitment.
Cargill will work with partners and other stakeholders across the supply chain to help farmers implement soil health practices to promote regenerative agriculture systems. This will include providing access to technical and agronomic resources that support yield and profit objectives, training opportunities, support with data collection for benchmarking and visibility to the needs of downstream consumer facing companies.
Ryan Sirolli, Cargill sustainability director for row crops, said, “When farmers adopt practices, and ultimately systems, such as reducing or eliminating tillage and adding cover crops, we can help mitigate climate change and protect water resources while improving the resiliency of the soil. Investing in soil health principles is how agriculture can help enhance farmer livelihoods while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving water quality and increasing drought resilience.”