Partnering with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)
- Philanthropic Story
Supporting local organizations to build resilient ecosystems
Innovation in agriculture is a fundamentally local process. A farmer may experiment with a new technique, make it work on their land, and inspire neighboring farmers to try it as well. However, replicating this success isn't always easy. Farmers often need expert guidance to adapt new practices to their unique farm conditions – what is known as technical assistance. Across many U.S. agricultural communities, there is a significant shortage of experienced professionals to guide farmers in implementing regenerative agriculture.
Addressing this shortage of technical assistance within local organizations is the core focus of our partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). NFWF is a national nonprofit that awards competitive grants to local organizations — such as county Soil and Water Conservation Districts, farmer-led Soil Health Coalitions, and environmental nonprofits — to create and manage programs supporting farmers. These programs help farmers develop and implement improved management plans, access financial assistance, and share their experiences with others. Each program is unique in its approach and focus. Some, like a program created by the farmer-led Minnesota Soil Health Coalition, emphasize educational workshops and farmer-to-farmer mentorship to increase understanding and adoption of soil health practices. Others concentrate on new technologies or maximizing farmers' economic returns, like wildlife nonprofit Pheasants Forever. By integrating precision agriculture tools to identify areas of poor profitability within farm fields to target for restoration of wildlife habitat, Pheasants Forever helps farmers save money while providing multiple ecosystem services. The effectiveness of these programs stems from local organizations' deep-rooted trust and established relationships within their farming communities, enabling them to effectively address local needs.
Our partnership with NFWF began in 2021 driven by the opportunity to significantly advance regenerative agriculture adoption by supporting numerous locally-led organizations and projects across diverse U.S. landscapes. Through NFWF's Conservation Partners Program and Sustain Our Great Lakes Program, our funding is combined with federal and local investments, as well as investment from other companies, to support projects in major sourcing areas for our agricultural ingredients.
Addressing this shortage of technical assistance within local organizations is the core focus of our partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). NFWF is a national nonprofit that awards competitive grants to local organizations — such as county Soil and Water Conservation Districts, farmer-led Soil Health Coalitions, and environmental nonprofits — to create and manage programs supporting farmers. These programs help farmers develop and implement improved management plans, access financial assistance, and share their experiences with others. Each program is unique in its approach and focus. Some, like a program created by the farmer-led Minnesota Soil Health Coalition, emphasize educational workshops and farmer-to-farmer mentorship to increase understanding and adoption of soil health practices. Others concentrate on new technologies or maximizing farmers' economic returns, like wildlife nonprofit Pheasants Forever. By integrating precision agriculture tools to identify areas of poor profitability within farm fields to target for restoration of wildlife habitat, Pheasants Forever helps farmers save money while providing multiple ecosystem services. The effectiveness of these programs stems from local organizations' deep-rooted trust and established relationships within their farming communities, enabling them to effectively address local needs.
Our partnership with NFWF began in 2021 driven by the opportunity to significantly advance regenerative agriculture adoption by supporting numerous locally-led organizations and projects across diverse U.S. landscapes. Through NFWF's Conservation Partners Program and Sustain Our Great Lakes Program, our funding is combined with federal and local investments, as well as investment from other companies, to support projects in major sourcing areas for our agricultural ingredients.
As of 2024, this partnership has invested nearly $19 million in 31 projects across the Southern Great Plains, Northern Great Plains, and the Great Lakes Basin. Our over $4 million investment, along with leveraged funds, has built technical assistance capacity by supporting over 160 jobs in local communities.
This added capacity has yielded significant results:
• 789,000 acres improved with conservation practices
• 6,700 people receiving technical assistance
• 67,000 acres of restored wildlife habitat
• 199,000 acres planted with cover crops
• 132,000 acres utilizing no-till or reduced-tillage
• 175,000 acres with improved nutrient management
• 56,000 acres with improved grazing practices.
• 789,000 acres improved with conservation practices
• 6,700 people receiving technical assistance
• 67,000 acres of restored wildlife habitat
• 199,000 acres planted with cover crops
• 132,000 acres utilizing no-till or reduced-tillage
• 175,000 acres with improved nutrient management
• 56,000 acres with improved grazing practices.
A key strength of the partnership is NFWF's landscape-level approach to wildlife and habitat conservation. This allows us to prioritize areas with the greatest conservation need and to support projects beyond regenerative agriculture on croplands, maximizing impact for at-risk species and ecosystems. For example, in Kansas and Oklahoma – key wheat sourcing regions for us – our partnership has funded the Kansas Wetland Conservation Initiative (led by Ducks Unlimited), and the Audubon Conservation Ranching Program (led by Pheasants Forever). These programs provide technical and financial assistance to farmers and ranchers for grassland and wetland protection and restoration, improving overall landscape outcomes such as bird populations, water quality, and aquifer recharge.
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“With a name like National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, people might wonder why we care about regenerative ag in the first place. And, it's because a lot of the issues that are important to farmers and ranchers are the same issues that are important to sustaining the fish and wildlife population,” explains Todd Hogrefe, central regional office director at NFWF.
“So, this technical assistance helps farmers, for example, reduce erosion, which prevents loss of their topsoil, their most valuable asset. At the same time, that work improves downstream water quality, which is good for downstream fish populations. Things like cover crops suppress weeds, which is good for farmers, but it's also good for wildlife because it provides forage for migratory birds and big game populations like white-tailed deer. Improving soil health improves farm productivity, which is better for a farmer's bottom line, but it also improves the food web in general. So, these are win-win solutions for not just farmers, but for our natural resources in general. They're far-reaching benefits that the work we're supporting achieves.”
Our partnership with NFWF shows the benefits of supporting local efforts to advance regenerative agriculture and its role in a broader strategy for habitat and biodiversity. However, limited staffing and technical assistance capacity within local organizations remains an opportunity. To address this, we continue to seek ways to enhance collective investment in local solutions, as exemplified by our collaboration with Walmart and Sam’s Club which has channeled greater investment to local organizations through NFWF. This partnership serves as both an example and an invitation for further participation from the public sector and businesses to amplify the impact of locally-driven solutions.
Our partnership with NFWF shows the benefits of supporting local efforts to advance regenerative agriculture and its role in a broader strategy for habitat and biodiversity. However, limited staffing and technical assistance capacity within local organizations remains an opportunity. To address this, we continue to seek ways to enhance collective investment in local solutions, as exemplified by our collaboration with Walmart and Sam’s Club which has channeled greater investment to local organizations through NFWF. This partnership serves as both an example and an invitation for further participation from the public sector and businesses to amplify the impact of locally-driven solutions.