MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, US — Nestle Purina is redefining its grain supply chain through a new partnership with Cargill announced on April 16. Through the partnership, the two companies will work together to advance the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices along corn and soy supply chains leveraged for the production of Purina’s dry dog and cat foods.

Cargill will work with farmers to implement eco-friendly farming practices for more than 200,000 corn and soy acres throughout the Midwest. The grain products that come from these regenerative practices will help Purina reduce its carbon footprint and enhance soil health along its dry pet food supply chain, the companies said.

“Our vision is to make regenerative agriculture commonplace across the industry,” said Stewart Derechin, vice president and global partner leader at Cargill. “Through partnerships with customers like Nestle Purina, we are helping farmers produce food more sustainably while also increasing the productivity and resilience of their farms. We’re working to scale these practices to more than 10 million acres of North American farmland by 2030 to reduce the carbon footprint of the US agriculture and food supply chain and build a more resilient food system.”

This latest partnership with Cargill represents the advancement of Purina’s global ambition to reduce its carbon emissions and advance regenerative agriculture practices across its ingredient supply chain. Incentivized regenerative agriculture practices include cover cropping, no or low tillage, crop rotation, nutrient management and soil erosion management, according to the company.

Cargill said such practices “have the potential to sequester greenhouse gas emissions, improve water quality and use, increase weather-related crop resilience and improve farmer productivity,” the company shared.

Over the next three years, these efforts are expected to reduce Purina’s carbon footprint by up to 40% as it relates to grain supplied by Cargill.

“We care about making quality pet food with responsibly sourced ingredients, and that’s why Purina is supporting farmers’ transition to regenerative agricultural practices, with soil health restoration at the forefront,” said John Foster, global category leader of cereals and grains for Nestle. “Partnerships like this help create shared value for farmers, pet owners and the planet."

Since 2020, Cargill has helped implement advanced regenerative agriculture practices for more than 880,000 acres of farmland across North America, which in turn supports yield and climate resiliency for farmers, the company said. It has done this in part through its RegenConnect program, which provides a suite of tools and resources to help farmers make the transition. The program was expanded upon in June 2023 to benefit farmers in Germany, Poland, Romania and France.