WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced $8.7 million in grants to support the implementation of voluntary conservation practices on farms and ranches across eight states from the Midwest to western grasslands.
The grants will generate $6.4 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of $15.1 million.
The grants were awarded through the Conservation Partners Program, a partnership between NFWF and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), The J.M. Smucker Co., PepsiCo, and General Mills.
“Across the country, private landowners help safeguard some of the most valuable fish and wildlife habitats through active stewardship and conservation,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF.
“These awards reinforce a shared commitment to voluntary stewardship, and to supporting landowners and producers as they sustain agricultural productivity, keep working lands working, and conserve working landscapes for wildlife.”
The projects supported by the 12 grants announced will hire or support field professionals to provide training to private landowners, equipping them with the tools needed to conserve, maintain, and restore natural resources on their lands, implement sound management practices, and access financial assistance through Farm Bill conservation programs.
Projects will also provide training to producers about regenerative agriculture systems and how they can adopt these practices to benefit their land and way of life.
“Public-private partnerships bring new capacity to producers adopting practices focused on soil health, water quality, and natural vitality. Our mission is to help people help the land and to serve the American producer,” said NRCS Chief Aubrey J.D. Bettencourt. “Partnerships are force multipliers and give farmers, ranchers, and landowners support to stay on the land and conserve our vital natural resources while investing in long-term solutions to keep our agricultural lands in production.”
The 12 funded projects will address resource concerns in the Great Lakes Basin, Great Plains, Upper Mississippi River Basin and Western Grazing Lands.
Grants will fund technical assistance to agricultural producers to plan and implement a range of practices such as cover crops, conservation tillage, grazing management, irrigation improvement, riparian habitat enhancements and conservation easements. Collectively, projects will develop at least 1,900 management plans to improve conservation on more than 490,000 acres nationwide and enable producers to access critical financial assistance through Farm Bill conservation programs provided by NRCS.
“Through the NFWF Conservation Partners Program, we’re investing in practical, farmer led solutions that improve soil health, water quality, and wildlife habitat while keeping working lands productive,” said Rebecca Ott, director, sustainability at The J.M. Smucker Co. “This partnership reflects our commitment to sustainable agriculture in priority crops by supporting producers with the tools and technical assistance they need to build resilient farms.”
“Advancing the adoption of regenerative agriculture is an integral part of our vision for a resilient food system and value chain,” said Jay Watson, senior director of sustainability at General Mills. “NFWF’s ability to work differentially with field conservation professionals to accelerate regenerative agriculture programs in our key sourcing regions has made them an invaluable partner.”
“Spreading the adoption of regenerative agriculture is a critical lever for strengthening the resilience of the food system and our supply chain, and that all starts with farmers,” said Margaret Henry, vice president, sustainable and regenerative agriculture for PepsiCo.
“By working with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through the Conservation Partners Program, we’re helping to provide farmers with the tools and technical assistance they need to adopt conservation practices that aim to improve soil health, protect water quality and improve crop yields, all of which support farm resilience.
"This work advances PepsiCo’s Positive Agriculture agenda—including our ambition to scale regenerative, restorative or protective practices across 10 million acres by 2030—and reflects our belief that investing in farmers and the long-term health of ecosystems is essential to building resilience for our business and the land that sustains all of us.”
Since 2011, the Conservation Partners Program has awarded 333 grants worth more than $93 million and leveraged an additional $94 million in matching contributions, generating a total conservation investment of more than $188 million. A complete list of the grants announced is available here.