Walmart and General Mills unite to promote regenerative agriculture 

Walmart and General Mills have joined together for the common goal of advancing the adoption of regenerative agriculture by funding sustainable farming practices to improve soil health, water quality and carbon sequestration for wheat and other crops in Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. 

The endeavor will focus on applying regenerative agriculture to 600,000 acres of land by 2030. This is also roughly the same amount of land General Mills requires to source ingredients for their products that are sold through Walmart and Sam’s Club. General Mills and Walmart will each provide funding for the project, but the National Fish and Wildlife Service will also chip in with matching federal grants.  

General Mills set a goal of adopting regenerative agriculture systems on 1 million acres by 2030, and with this new collaboration, the company believes it can exceed that goal. Similarly, Walmart’s goal is to restore at least 50 million acres of land by 2030 and this team effort is expected to bring them closer to that objective. 

“Through this partnership, we will work hand-in-hand with Walmart and Sam’s Club to help regenerate the acres of land in the key regions where we source ingredients for our shared business,” said Jon Nudi, group president, North America Retail at General Mills. “We are excited by the opportunity to bring our products, including Pillsbury refrigerated dough and Blue Buffalo pet food and treats, to Walmart shelves more sustainably, with the help of our merchants and farmer partners.” 

According to a Walmart press release, the objective is twofold: support the shift to regenerative agriculture in the United States and advance the potential for more resilient yields for farmers through efforts that will help improve soil health, watersheds, biodiversity, climate change and farmer economic resilience. 

“We’re committing to making the everyday choice the more sustainable choice for consumers,” said John Laney, executive vice president, Food at Walmart U.S. “This collaboration is an example of how we are working across our value chain on intentional interventions to help advance regenerative agriculture and ensure surety of supply for these essential food products for the long term.” 

This venture with General Mills is not the first regenerative agriculture pact Walmart has made with a food or beverage brand. In July, Walmart announced it would be joining up with Pepsi on a $120 million investment to support farmers who are working to improve their soil and water quality. Walmart has also collaborated with cattle ranchers to incentivize improved grazing methods and regenerative land management related to Walmart’s private label long-grain rice. To learn more about the initiative, visit www.generalmills.com/gstandsforgood.com or www.corporate.walmart.com/purpose/sustainability.com. 

Lacey Vilhauer can be reached at 620-227-1871 or [email protected].