Key Takeaways
- General Mills, ADM and Walmart have announced a strategic collaboration to accelerate regenerative agriculture across 40,000 Midwest wheat acres.
- The program targets growing regions where General Mills sources wheat from ADM for products sold through Walmart and Sam's Club.
- American Farmland Trust and Ducks Unlimited will provide technical assistance for initial projects focused on soil health, water quality and carbon sequestration.
- ADM, which manages nearly 5 million regenerative acres globally, will help accelerate the program in Illinois, Indiana and Missouri.
- The collaboration builds on General Mills and Walmart's 2023 commitment to advance regenerative agriculture across 600,000 shared acres by 2030, with programs already underway on more than 560,000 U.S. wheat acres.
General Mills, ADM and Walmart Launch Regenerative Wheat Program
General Mills, ADM and Walmart have announced a strategic collaboration to accelerate regenerative agriculture across 40,000 Midwest wheat acres. The program focuses on growing regions where General Mills sources wheat from ADM for products sold through Walmart and Sam's Club, which the companies describe as a shared commitment to strengthening supply chain resilience and farming communities. Initial projects, supported by technical assistance from American Farmland Trust and Ducks Unlimited, are intended to deliver measurable improvements in soil health, water quality and carbon sequestration.
How the Program Will Work
Facilitated on the ground by ADM, the program will provide farmers with technical assistance and financial incentives to adopt practices such as no-till farming and cover crops, aiming to address early barriers to adoption and support measurable environmental outcomes. ADM, which manages nearly 5 million regenerative acres globally, will help accelerate the effort in Illinois, Indiana and Missouri.
“The success of regenerative agriculture depends on the entire value chain. Together with General Mills and Walmart, we're bridging the gap for farmers to increasingly adopt and expand regenerative practices,” said Katherine Pickus, chief sustainability officer at ADM. “Partnerships are what power this work and help build farm resilience.”
Building on General Mills' Existing Commitments
In 2023, General Mills and Walmart committed to advancing regenerative agriculture across 600,000 shared acres by 2030, with programs currently underway across more than 560,000 wheat acres in the U.S. The new collaboration is expected to help General Mills toward its goal of advancing regenerative agriculture on 1 million acres by 2030, contribute to Walmart's goal of protecting, more sustainably managing or restoring at least 50 million acres by 2030 in collaboration with the Walmart Foundation, and support ADM's efforts to help farmers safeguard soil health across millions of acres.
“This strategic collaboration with Walmart and ADM underscores the importance of collective action across the value chain, and we hope it inspires others to see what's possible when companies invest together,” said Jay Watson, senior director of sustainability at General Mills. “By focusing on the wheat-growing regions that support our shared business, we aim to strengthen the resilience of ingredients for our beloved brands like Pillsbury, Betty Crocker and Totino's, while supporting farmer livelihoods and the health of our planet.”
Company Perspectives
“What makes this relationship and this project so unique is that we have taken a true shared value approach to it,” said Mikel Hancock, senior director, strategic initiatives, sustainability at Walmart Inc. “The key component is to be able to continue to make improvements while meeting the needs of farmers and driving economic resiliency within those farms for long-term supply resilience to deliver on what works for our customers and members.”
