Grow for Good

General Mills is on a mission to make a positive impact on the planet — one that’ll be felt now and for generations to come. We are working from the ground up to solve today’s food and agricultural challenges and build a resilient future. That’s why we’re donating $100,000 to organizations dedicated to advancing regenerative agriculture. Test your knowledge and learn how regenerative agriculture creates a more sustainable future.

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How much of our food comes from the soil?

1. General Mills and regenerative agriculture

In 2019, General Mills committed to advancing 1 million acres of land to regenerative agriculture by 2030 in order to ensure a thriving future for the people and the planet. Climate and water goals include:

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% across their full value chain by 2030
Reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050
To champion the regeneration of water resources in priority watersheds

To that end, General Mills is donating $100,000 to organizations dedicated to a regenerative future, like American Farmland Trust, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Rodale Institute.

2. What is regenerative agriculture?

We believe one of the most promising solutions to reach our climate goals and create positive planetary outcomes is through regenerative agriculture.

Regenerative agriculture delivers positive environmental, social and economic outcomes.

Regenerative agriculture outcomes:

Biodiversity
Support wildlife and beneficial organisms, which in turn provide important services for farmers like keeping pests in check.
Water management
Help maximize water infiltration and use efficiency on water quality, helping to protect and restore clean water in nearby streams, rivers and lakes.
Soil health: Soil is a complex living ecosystem critical for producing food, supporting biodiversity and regulating the climate. Healthy soil protects and feeds this ecosystem to help it thrive.
Cow and herd well-being (in dairy operations)
Adaptive grazing and feeding cows a diverse mix of crops support cow health and increase resiliency across the whole dairy ecosystem.

Farmer livelihoods and community resilience

Regenerative agriculture systems repair and enhance ecosystem processes like nutrient cycling, water infiltration and pest suppression, reducing the need for more expensive inputs and strengthening whole-farm profitability and resilience over time.

3. How can Grow for Good close the meal gap?

The meal gap is an ongoing crisis in the United States where individuals and families are consistently unable to feed their households due to economic strains and inequity. Grow for Good is a campaign sponsored by Ohio's Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank focused on creating a thriving community free of hunger. Their goals include regularly storing and distributing healthy meals to food-insecure communities and working to ensure that those communities are connected to a regular food source. Furthermore, they are prioritizing engaging 15,000 volunteers by 2025 and increasing their reach to communities in need. With enough helping hands, Grow for Good can close the meal gap in the next few years!

4. National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is dedicated to sustaining, restoring and enhancing the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants and habitats for current and future generations. NFWF works to accelerate the adoption of regenerative agriculture to improve soil heath and water quality, while also enhancing vital habitat for fish and wildlife. The foundation supports voluntary agricultural management principles that can be utilized to improve local ecosystem health and increase resilience.

In 2020 General Mills and NFWF began working together to accelerate the adoption of regenerative agriculture systems on private working lands in three Midwestern landscapes, including the Southern Great Plains, Northern Great Plains, and Great Lakes Basin. With a focus in these areas, the partnership supports field conservation professionals who work directly with agricultural producers to develop and implement stewardship actions that generate economic benefits alongside positive environmental outcomes. This work is improving the condition of nearly 800,000 acres of cropland and ranchland.

Regenerative wheat x Kansas and Oklahoma: NFWF’s work in the Southern Great Plains advances regenerative agriculture in a landscape that has some of the best remaining intact prairie grasslands in North America. In addition to providing habitat for numerous grassland birds, pollinators and other wildlife, these grassland biomes support a multi-billion-dollar farming and ranching industry. The NFWF program supports maintaining productivity of the extensive cropland of the region through cultivating healthy soils and efficient use of limited water resources. Projects benefit wildlife, water and soil resources of the region by helping farmers design and implement voluntary practices including cover crops, irrigation improvements and invasive species control.

Regenerative dairy x Great Lakes: The Great Lakes contain more than 20 percent of the earth’s fresh surface water, and farming practices in the region have a significant impact on water quality in the lakes and their immense network of streams, wetlands, grasslands and forests. These provide critical ecological services, such as water filtration, flood control, nutrient cycling and carbon storage. This program is supporting work to help farmers implement voluntary regenerative agriculture practices on conventional and organic dairies and other farms in the watersheds of Lake Michigan, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

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5. Rodale Institute

Rodale Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to growing the regenerative organic agriculture movement through rigorous research, farmer training, and education. The organization strives to develop a better, natural, and more responsible way of modern farming by conducting research into the cultivation of healthy, living soils. Its mission is to advance groundbreaking research and best-in-class education that enables farms and farmers to transition to regenerative organic agricultural practices, thereby improving the health of the world’s soil and securing the global food supply.

In September 2022, General Mills donated its historic Cascadian Farm Home Farm to Rodale Institute. As new land stewards, Rodale Institute is bringing its renowned research, education, and consulting capabilities to the Pacific Northwest via the farm and creating opportunities for farmers and consumers to engage in learning about regenerative organic agriculture. The Institute plans to open the doors of the Rodale Institute Pacific Northwest Organic Center at Cascadian Farm later this year. In 2023, General Mills is launching a multi-year partnership with Rodale Institute to provide organic farmers in our organic supply chain with practical, on-the-ground technical assistance from the Institute’s organic consultants. This partnership will also establish monitoring practices to track improvements in soil health on participating farms. In addition, General Mills and Rodale Institute will collaborate to develop a forum for farmer-to-farmer mentorship.

Regenerative organic farming – Pennsylvania: Rodale Institute’s Organic Consultancy advances positive ecological impact on organic farms by providing technical assistance to farmers and supporting farmers to measure changes over time. The program supports farmers across a broad range of needs such as transitioning to organic; handling weeds, soil fertility, and pests; locating new markets; and more. The Institute’s headquarters are located in Pennsylvania, and the nonprofit is building a network of education hubs across the United States to support organic farmers with expertise tailored to the nation’s wide variety of crops, soils and climates.

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6. American Farmland Trust

The American Farmland Trust has been protecting farmland and ranchland from development and promoting environmentally sound farming practices since 1980. They created the conservation agriculture movement, and they're committed to saving the land that sustains Americans. Moreover, AFT has also helped tens of thousands of farmers and ranchers adopt better farming practices. Continue on to shop General Mills products at Kroger and help support regenerative agriculture today!

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