Milling & Baking News - February 25, 2020 - 7

Editorial

Industry helps regenerative ag gain momentum

hole Foods Market identified regenerative biodiversity and soil health. By contrast, Mr. Brown
agriculture as one of nine leading food and said monoculture depletes soil nutrients, necessitatbeverage trends in 2020. The supermarket, ing the use of fertilizer, which are fossil fuel intensive.
a division of Amazon.com, Inc., predicted consumers
Also of interest is the potential for regenerative agriwould be drawn to products that support regenera- culture to provide major benefits related to water. Tilltive practices. The forecast could be characterized as ing impairs the porosity of soil and reduces capacity
bold given the public's lack of familiarity with the for water infiltration. Ponding and erosion result. Genconcept: 2019 data from the International Food In- eral Mills, Inc., a proponent and supporter of regeneraformation Council Foundation indicate only 10% of tive agriculture, said the practice will make land "more
consumers are familiar with and interested in regen- resilient to extreme weather" and will enhance water
erative agriculture.
infiltration, which the company said has been shown to
What interest in regenerative agriculture has benefit area lakes, rivers and streams. For growers, the
emerged is credited in part to a 2016 TEDx talk deliv- benefits are greater nutrient retention in the soil.
ered in Grand Forks, N.D., by Gabe Brown, a grower
Progress toward adoption of regenerative agriculwhose farm is near Bismarck. Mr.
ture practices is not expected to be rapAdvocates believe
Brown cited data showing soil depth
id. A General Mills project announced
in Walsh County, N.D., shrinking to regenerative agriculture recently is a three-year pilot engaging
15 inches in 2014 from 34 inches in
24 wheat growers around the Kansas
has the potential to
1960. He blamed the soil degradation
Cheney Reservoir watershed, a water
slow or even reverse
on tillage and monoculture, which he
source for 400,000 Kansans. The effort
climate change.
said leaves soil susceptible to erosion
follows a 2019 General Mills initiative
and diminishes its capacity to support beneficial mi- in North Dakota and Canada to encourage regencrobes and absorb water.
erative agriculture among oat growers across 45,000
Describing the status quo as unsustainable, Mr. acres of farmland. Still another initiative by the comBrown advocates the widespread adoption of five pany involves its Cascadian Farm brand, and an effort
steps he believes are central to regenerative agricul- to commercialize Kernza, a perennial grain with deep
ture ... minimizing mechanical disturbance of soil roots, developed by The Land Institute in Kansas. The
(no-till agriculture), applying armor to the soil in the company has established a goal to advance regeneraform of cover crops, embracing crop diversity, leaving tive practices on 1 million acres of farmland by 2030.
roots in the ground as long as possible and allowing
General Mills is not alone among food, beverage
animals to graze farmland.
and processing companies stepping forward to exWhile there is considerable debate over exactly plore regenerative or other approaches toward suswhat elements are required for regenerative agricul- tainable agriculture. As major customers of growture and how new the concepts behind sound land ers, flour millers and other processors increasingly
management are, the potentially monumental ben- are assuming responsibility to ensure the grain they
efits of such practices beyond enhancing soil produc- source has been cultivated in a manner viewed as
tivity have sparked enthusiasm.
appropriate not only by bakers and other customAdvocates believe regenerative agriculture has ers but by consumers as well. General Mills believes
the potential to slow or even reverse climate change. regenerative agriculture practices will increase farm
Tilling the soil, typically in preparation for planting, profitability and is supporting training programs
releases carbon into the atmosphere. The adoption in the hopes of establishing a critical mass of growof no-till practices leaves more carbon in the ground. ers pursuing such practices. Gaining grower buy-in
The benefits are multiplied through the planting of holds the key to effecting a potential revolution in
perennial and cover crops. The latter contribute to agricultural practices. MBN
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