ARLINGTON, VA — Nestle announced plans to invest in regenerative agriculture practices for wheat farms within its DiGiorno supply chain. The initiative’s goal is to improve soil, use less water, energy and fertilizer, and minimize climate change impacts. This investment will bring regenerative practices to over 100,000 acres of farmland and help the company transition regenerative agriculture in its supply chain.
As part of its roadmap to reach net zero emissions by 2050, Nestle’s goal is to source 20% of its essential ingredients through regenerative agriculture practices by 2025 and 50% by 2030.
“At Nestle our aim is to help leave the world better than we found it, and as the world’s largest food and beverage company, we have a tremendous opportunity to help create a regenerative, healthy food system while also working with the local farming communities that employ it,” said Steve Presley, CEO of Nestle Zone North America. “To do this we need to find solutions that create shared value throughout the ecosystem — value for us, value for farmers, value for our consumers and value for the planet. This investment in wheat producers is just one example of how we are bringing this commitment to life across our supply chain.”
Nestle is partnering with ADM and Ardent Mills, two primary wheat flour suppliers for its DiGiorno brand, to invest in wheat farms across Kansas, North Dakota, Indiana and Missouri. This initiative will help farmers employ practices in the field — such as planting cover crops, reducing or eliminating tillage and reducing pesticides — through financial and technical resources. The application of these practices can improve soil health and fertility, improve biodiversity and protect water resources.
One farmer working with ADM and Nestle to implement regenerative agriculture practices is Scott Stroberg of Stroberg Farm in Hutchison, KS. Stroberg Farm has been growing wheat for ADM for over ten years and has introduced practices such as adding cover crops and swapping synthetic fertilizers for natural alternatives.
“Our family introduced regenerative agriculture practices on our farm after noticing a decline in our yields and deterioration of the health of our soil,” Stroberg said. “These methods have not only been good for our land and the environment, but we’ve also seen a financial benefit as we are spending less on inputs like synthetic chemicals.”