General Mills, ADM, Walmart Partner to Support Regenerative Wheat Farmers in Midwest

General Mills, ADM, and Walmart announced a strategic collaboration to support regenerative agriculture practices across 40,000 wheat acres in the Midwest. The program focuses on key growing regions where General Mills sources wheat from ADM for products sold through Walmart and Sam’s Club.

The initial projects will be given technical assistance from American Farmland Trust and Ducks Unlimited, with a focus on improving soil health, water quality, and carbon sequestration.

In 2023, General Mills and Walmart committed to advancing regenerative agriculture across 600,000 shared acres by 2030. Programs are underway across 560,000 wheat acres in the U.S.

ADM, which manages nearly 5 million regenerative acres globally, will help with progress in Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri.

“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.”

ADM will facilitate progress on the ground, providing farmers with technical assistance and financial incentives to adopt and incorporate practices like no-till and cover crops. This measure will address early barriers to adoption, encourage broader participation, and make a measurable impact on environmental outcomes.

“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.”

“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 of strategic initiatives and sustainability at Walmart. “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.”

General Mills aims to advance regenerative agriculture on a million acres by 2030, while Walmart has the goal to protect, more sustainably manage, or restore at least 50 million acres by 2030.