Mars Inc., a global leader in pet care products and services, confectionery, snacking and food, highlighted its collaborations to provide financial incentives to farmers as they implement regenerative agriculture practices in North America in an October announcement.

These multiyear partnerships, including one with ADM led by Royal Canin USA and Mars Petcare US, aim to encourage wheat, corn and rice farmers in select regions of North America to implement regenerative agriculture practices that contribute to carbon reductions. Key agricultural regions covered are Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Michigan and Ontario, Canada.

In a recent news release, ADM said it is rapidly building toward a goal of 5 million regenerative agriculture acres by 2025 – and knows that ambitious goal can only be reached by bringing great partners together to support outcome-based farming that promotes better soil health as well as farming business development.

The value chains in which the company operates are long and complex, stretching from farm fields to store shelves, and it takes multiple stakeholders working in partnership to ensure that the benefits of regenerative agriculture carry all the way through.

The partnership with Mars Petcare and Royal Canin will help bring the benefits of regenerative agriculture practices in the U.S. to the pet food industry, ADM noted, adding that the agreements are supporting and providing financial incentives to corn farmers in Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska for using regenerative practices including, but not limited to, cover crops, no-till, fertilizer efficiency programs and efficient herbicide/pesticide use. The partnership will work towards identifying and accounting for environmental benefits, including improved water quality, soil health and biodiversity.

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These practices aim to deliver benefits such as increased yields, lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through reduction and carbon sequestration, improved water quality, enhanced soil health and greater biodiversity in the implementation regions.

The companies are working with Gradable – a joint venture launched by Farmers Business Network and ADM in August 2024 – as the measurement, monitoring, reporting and verification partner, and outcomes will be measured using the COMET Planner tool and Field-to-Market Fieldprint Platform metrics. The multiyear initiative aims to cover more than 100,000 U.S. acres in 2024 alone.

"Transforming a value chain takes commitment from partners spanning that value chain," said John Grossmann, ADM president of North American oilseeds crush and grain. "It takes dedication from farmers to enroll in these programs and practice certain regenerative techniques. It takes participation by technical experts – from our Gradable joint venture to the agronomic experts that work with farmers to implement these practices. And it takes downstream partners that are committed to being leaders in sustainability. We're proud to have partners like that in Mars Petcare US Inc. and Royal Canin."

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"At Mars, we recognize that an important part of achieving our climate goals is addressing the environmental footprint of our ingredients," said Jon Peattie, senior vice president, commercial, Mars Petcare US. “Our commitment to regenerative agriculture is a key component of our broader sustainability strategy. These partnerships reflect our dedication to reducing our environmental impact, supporting farmer livelihoods and helping to ensure a resilient supply chain for the long term.”

Racquel White, vice president corporate affairs for Royal Canin, added, "Royal Canin is committed to offering pet owners sustainable choices when feeding their pets, and that starts, in part, with how their food is grown. We are committed to working with suppliers and partners to help farmers implement agriculture practices to help reduce our carbon footprint and support the resilience of the people throughout our supply chains."

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ADM offers an array of programs that meet the varied needs of all farmers and empowers each of them in the ways that work best for their individual situations, including via direct financial incentives, easy processes and cutting-edge technologies to ensure low barriers to entry and a broad range of support and guidance from both internal and third-party experts.

ADM noted that its value chain-spanning approach to regenerative agriculture delivered more than 2.8 million acres in 2023, with a goal of 3.5 million regenerative acres in 2024 and a goal of 5 million acres in 2025. Full details of ADM’s programs, achievements and goals can be found in its 2024 Regenerative Agriculture Report here.

In 2024, Mars released the 2023 Mars Sustainable in a Generation Report, announcing record 8% reduction in GHG emissions, doubling its total GHG reduction to 16% across its full value chain and delivering its largest single-year reduction in GHG emissions against its 2015 baseline. With almost 60% of the company’s value chain GHG footprint coming from agricultural ingredients, Mars is scaling up new climate-smart agriculture initiatives to drive continued decarbonization, according to the announcement.

Royal Canin USA, a subsidiary of Mars Inc., is a leader in science-based cat and dog health nutrition, delivering individualized nutritional solutions.