Nestlé, the Nfwf, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and Cargill, are joining forces to adopt voluntary conservation practices to help combat climate change. In more detail, Nestlé and Cargill decided to partner with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to support sustainable grazing practices across 1.7 million acres in the United States, roughly 688,000 hectares. Over the next five years, this will be one of the largest private-sector regenerative breeding initiatives in the United States, with a $ 15 million investment in the public sector alone. 

Through this partnership, companies will support the vital habitat for native wildlife, while also supporting a robust beef supply chain: this commitment will count, we said, on 15 million dollars in federal funds, leading to the activation of a maximum of $ 30 million in grants over the next five years. The partnership will bring together private landowners and local conservation organisations to support voluntary land management practices, improve water management and restore natural habitats. The work will help generate carbon benefits in more than 15 states, including areas in the Great Plains, Mountain West, Midwest and Southeastern portions of the United States.

The first series of grants made possible by this new partnership should be officially announced in April 2023: farmers and farmers will benefit directly from these funds by receiving technical and financial support to implement regenerative practices on their land. "At the heart of Cargill’s BeefUp Sustainability program is the unique ability to connect strong partners, inventive solutions and financial resources to scale impact in the fight against climate change -says Jeffrey Fitzpatrick, responsible for the Cargill BeefUp-sustainability programme-. Leveraging our long history with our partners, this partnership has discovered a weakness for us to support local farmers and ranchers and their communities by increasing the sustainability of the supply chain, reducing the impact on the planet and showing beef as a force and not as an enemy of health and industry".

The benefits of this partnership will help thousands of livestock producers across the country by implementing voluntary practices that will help benefit hundreds of species, from songbird migration to moose to freshwater mussels. Investing in regenerative practices on 1.7 million acres over the next five years can have benefits in sustainability: it would eliminate, in fact, up to about 845,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, according to Nfwf. 

"This partnership is activating the necessary work in our supply chains to help create a regenerative and healthy food system -adds Emily Johannes, director Diverse and sustainable sourcing at Nestlé Usa-. Working together allows for the exploitation of skills and helps to achieve what is essential to accelerate the transition to regenerative agriculture: this means supporting farmers and farmers to implement farm practices that help replenish the land, absorb carbon and improve the health of our environment".