AUDIO: Paul Scheetz
The director of regenerative agriculture with ADM says a new partnership is bringing more support for conservation efforts across 40,000 Midwestern wheat acres.
Paul Scheetz says the company is collaborating with General Mills and Walmart to advance sustainable agricultural practices that help build a stronger, more resilient food system.
“We’re incentivizing farmers to adopt practices specifically around wheat in Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri.” He says, “You know, reduced tillage practices, fertilizer efficiency, cover crop and living root type of practices. And it’s gone really successful. We’ve got a chance to enroll over 200 farmers.”
He tells Brownfield the program helps address early barriers to adoption of regenerative practices, encourages broader participation and supports measurable environmental outcomes.
“It’s pretty gratifying to understand that between ourselves, General Mills, and Walmart, that we have to remove the burden on the farmer to take on all the risks by providing incentives and technical assistance to ultimately execute some of these practices,” he says.
Scheetz says the collaboration builds on each company’s existing commitments to safeguard soil health more sustainably for the future of agriculture.
“We surveyed about 1,000 farmers where we asked them, did enrolling in the program have a positive impact on your bottom line?” He says, “Ninety one percent responded that it did have a positive impact.”
Enrollment information for the 2026 & 2027 crops is expected to be released in August.
Initial projects, with technical assistance from American Farmland Trust and Ducks Unlimited, will deliver demonstrable improvements in soil health, water quality and carbon sequestration.
In statements, leaders from General Mills and Walmart say:
“This strategic collaboration with Walmart and ADM underscores the importance of collective action across the value chain, and we hope it inspires others to see what’s possible when companies invest together,” said Jay Watson, senior director of sustainability at General Mills. “By focusing on the wheat-growing regions that support our shared business, we aim to strengthen the resilience of ingredients for our beloved brands like Pillsbury, Betty Crocker and Totino’s, while supporting farmer livelihoods and the health of our planet.”
“What makes this relationship and this project so unique is that we have taken a true shared value approach to it,” said Mikel Hancock, senior director, strategic initiatives, sustainability at Walmart Inc. “The key component is to be able to continue to make improvements while meeting the needs of farmers and driving economic resiliency within those farms for long-term supply resilience to deliver on what works for our customers and members.”
