Embracing Regenerative Agriculture

There’s no doubt that the expectations of companies to address environmental, social, and governance (ESG) topics that relate to their business are ever-evolving. In the context of increased attention on the concept of biodiversity following the global pledges coming out of the December 2022 UN Biodiversity Conference, regenerative agriculture practices will continue to be a priority at the forefront of sustainability and innovation.

While many companies and consumers are familiar with regenerative agriculture goals, many do not understand what “regen ag” is, and how it provides mutual value to growers and consumers while also offering the opportunity to help reduce the environmental impacts of agriculture.

Regenerative agriculture practices work to improve the key environmental metrics we track such as land use efficiency, and input use efficiency. We use these metrics to drive measurement-based outcomes such as organic matter content in the soil, water efficiency, and nutrient density. These outcomes are not only useful for companies that want to reduce supply chain emissions but also for growers who seek to optimize input costs and increase the potential for higher yields across their rotation. While these practices may seem novel, they trace back to ancient farming techniques used by Indigenous populations to maximize harvest yield while also conserving soil health.

We have seen this work not only in theory but in practice. One recent example is Ardent Mills' partnership with Colorado Quinoa in the San Luis Valley of Colorado. In the past, these growers primarily focused on potatoes, barley, and alfalfa. However, in the early 2000s, growers found that a South American staple crop, quinoa, performed surprisingly well in their water-restrictive system. Since this discovery, farmers have phased quinoa in as a replacement to their fallow season or other more water-intensive crops, along with planting flowering plants on their borders as a natural pest repellent and companion crops like clover, in addition to rotationally grazing their neighbors' cattle as opposed to tilling under their crop residue. Over the last 20 years, these initiatives have measurably resulted in reduced water usage, improved quinoa yields, and increased soil organic matter content. For every 1000 acres of quinoa planted in a 1/3 crop rotation, 366 million gallons of water are saved (water requirements, which are taken from fao.org and wisc.edu, are based on the assumption that the crop rotation where quinoa would be inserted into a two-thirds potato and one-third barley and alfalfa).

At Ardent Mills, we are committed to nourishing what’s next, responsibly. These stories – among many others – inspire us to continue to find new ways to scale regenerative agriculture within our portfolio of products. Since 2021, we have partnered with Nutrien Ag Solutions to enroll growers into our regenerative ag program and recently hit a new milestone of achieving 250,000 enrolled acres.

When we started the program, we made a commitment to welcome growers in all stages of the regenerative agriculture journey and establish a clear, concise process by which to benchmark. We start by measuring all aspects of the grower's operation and then partner with Nutrien Ag Solutions agronomists to help us identify potential regen ag solutions based on the grower's unique geographical challenges. Ardent Mills and our customer partners then help to fund and implement these changes, to not only reduce inputs, increase soil health and improve yields for the grower but also to create a positive return on investment (ROI) as their system becomes even more efficient.

As the program evolves, we are beginning to introduce new crop types within our Emerging Nutrition portfolio, which growers can consistently rotate in partnership with Ardent Mills. We have found chickpeas to be an especially versatile and valuable addition, as it frees soil phosphorus and increases soil biomass to increase yields. Amidst our rapid portfolio expansion, we continue to make gains against our long-term goals and aim to triple our total enrolled acreage to 750,000 acres by 2025.

As our program grows, we know one thing is critical to long-term success: supply chain participation. Regenerative agriculture practices require a long-term runway to prove efficacy and measurable ROI. This means we must earn the grower's trust and engagement by providing solutions that work. Through partnership and collaboration with growers, manufacturers, and consumers can all embrace the benefits of regenerative agriculture, no matter where or how they engage with the end-to-end value chain.