The non-profit Soil Health Academy has received a $1.65 million grant from General Mills to educate and mentor wheat and oat producers in regions of the U.S. and Canada as they transition from conventional agricultural practices to soil health-focused regenerative agriculture practices.
To implement the three-year, mentoring, consulting, and evaluation components of the project, SHA is partnering with the regenerative agriculture consulting company, Understanding Ag LLC.
“The grant from General Mills will allow SHA to partner with UA and its cadre of world-class regenerative consultants to deliver critical on-farm consulting and mentoring services to producers involved in the project,” said David Brandt, SHA president. “UA’s consultants will work with these producers to develop three- to five-year regenerative management plans which also incorporate on-farm experimentation and learning.”
The project also includes a major emphasis on documenting and evaluating soil health improvements, crop profitability, and biological diversity benefits derived through the regenerative agriculture transition process.
General Mills said the new grant represents its effort to help protect and intentionally enhance natural resources, increase biodiversity and maintain farming communities.
“We know that farmers learn best from other farmers and the experience and knowledge that these renaissance regenerative agriculture experts provide is unprecedented,” Mary Jane Melendez, president of the General Mills Foundation and chief sustainability and social impact officer for the company.
