US – Ardent Mills, one of the leading flour-milling and ingredient companies in the United States, has partnered with Nutrien Ag Solutions, the retail division of the world’s largest crop inputs company, to advance regenerative agriculture practices.
According to a statement by Ardent Mills, the program is aimed at strengthening the soil ecosystem and helping producers improve their farms’ productivity and profitability.
The program uses key outcomes and provides side by side quality comparisons to comprehensively understand how regenerative agriculture affects the quality of wheat.
Through the program, the leading flour miller hopes to create insights as to how sustainable agriculture practices affect the crops.
The company targets to enroll 250,000 acres of spring and winter wheat into its regenerative agriculture program by 2022.
“Ardent Mills is dedicated to making a positive impact in our communities and sustainability initiatives are a critical component of that. Our own supply chain is a big area of opportunity,” said Phoenix Dugger, corporate social responsibility manager, Ardent Mills.
Adopting regenerative agricultural practices has become important to producers as consumers shift their preference to foods that align with their personal values.
Sustainability being one of those key areas that consumers consider before buying a product, regenerative agriculture is no longer an option but a necessity.
Shrene White, general manager, The Annex by Ardent Mills notes that not only does this program benefit the environment, but it also helps our customers meet those consumer demands.
“We’re excited to partner with our customers, growers and Nutrien Ag Solutions to continue this very important initiative,” white added.
The regenerative agriculture program currently operates across 12 projects in nine geographies in the U.S. and Canada, including Alabama, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Saskatchewan.
The initiative helps serve Ardent Mills’ customers by providing valuable opportunities to meet their public sustainability goals and meet the needs of their consumers.
Phoenix Dugger, corporate social responsibility manager at Ardent Mills said the project in Idaho has resulted in the majority of participating growers utilizing reduced or no-till systems and what’s known as “4R nutrient management” (right source, right rate, right time and right place).
Both help ensure responsible soil management while also resulting in higher yields than regional benchmarks.
White notes that engaging Nutrien Ag Solutions, a division of Nutrien Ltd. — the world’s largest crop inputs company, will allow Ardent Mills to accelerate the program’s expansion. Nutrien currently has relationships with 500,000 growers.
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