Playbook: Adopting Regenerative Agriculture in 90 Days

The regenerative agriculture market reached $12.66 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at 18.7% CAGR through 2033, according to Grand View Research. More striking than market size: 63% of major food companies now include regenerative agriculture in their sustainability roadmaps, up from just 22% in 2020. This isn't peripheral activity—it's becoming core operating strategy. General Mills has engaged 500,000 acres (halfway to their 1 million acre goal), Danone sources 39% of key ingredients from transitioning farms, and the Walmart-General Mills partnership alone targets 600,000 acres across seven U.S. states by 2030. For investors and corporate sustainability leaders, the question has shifted from "whether" to "how fast."

This playbook distills lessons from successful 90-day implementation sprints, drawing on case studies from leading companies that have moved from pilots to scaled programs. The goal: provide a replicable framework for organizations seeking to integrate regenerative agriculture into supply chains without the multi-year timelines that characterized early adopters.

Why It Matters

Regenerative agriculture represents a fundamental paradigm shift in how the food system addresses climate risk, supply chain resilience, and long-term agricultural productivity. Unlike incremental sustainability improvements, regenerative practices aim to actively restore ecosystem function—rebuilding soil carbon, enhancing biodiversity, and improving watershed health while maintaining or improving yields.

The business case has strengthened considerably. Nestlé committed CHF 1.2 billion ($1.49B) through 2025 to source 50% of priority materials from regenerative farms by 2030. This isn't philanthropy—it's risk mitigation. Climate volatility increasingly threatens conventional agriculture: the 2024 Texas drought caused $7.6 billion in agricultural losses, while flooding in the Midwest disrupted corn and soybean production across 2.1 million acres.

Regenerative systems demonstrate superior resilience. Research from the Rodale Institute's Farming Systems Trial shows that regenerative fields maintained 40% higher yields during drought years compared to conventional fields. Soil with higher organic matter content holds 20,000 gallons more water per acre per percentage point of organic matter increase—a critical buffer against precipitation volatility.

For investors, the opportunity extends beyond risk mitigation. Carbon credit markets are creating new revenue streams for farmers practicing regenerative methods. The Ecosystem Services Market Consortium (ESMC), founded with backing from General Mills, Cargill, and others, paid farmers directly for quantifiable environmental outcomes in 2024 pilots. McKinsey estimates the voluntary carbon market could reach $50 billion by 2030, with agricultural soil carbon representing a significant supply source.

Key Concepts

The Five Principles of Regenerative Agriculture

Regenerative agriculture is defined by outcomes, not inputs. The Savory Institute, Rodale Institute, and leading practitioners generally agree on five core principles:

Minimize Soil Disturbance: Reduce or eliminate tillage to preserve soil structure and fungal networks
Keep Soil Covered: Use cover crops, mulch, or residue to protect soil from erosion and temperature extremes
Maintain Living Roots: Ensure plant roots are in the soil year-round to feed soil biology
Diversify Crops: Rotate multiple crop species to break pest cycles and optimize nutrient cycling
Integrate Livestock: Where appropriate, use managed grazing to cycle nutrients and stimulate plant growth

Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV)

The transition from pilot to scale requires robust MRV systems. Without credible measurement, regenerative claims become marketing assertions rather than verifiable outcomes. The technology landscape has evolved rapidly:

MRV Approach	Cost per Acre	Accuracy	Scalability
Soil Sampling	$25-50	High	Low
Remote Sensing	$1-5	Medium	High
Biogeochemical Modeling	$2-8	Medium-High	High
Hybrid (Sampling + Remote)	$8-15	High	Medium-High

General Mills partners with Regrow to track 175 million acres across the U.S., Canada, Brazil, and France using satellite-based tillage monitoring (OpTIS) and DNDC modeling. This approach enables GHG Protocol-compliant reporting at multiple analysis levels while remaining cost-effective at scale.

Key Performance Indicators by Sector

Organizations implementing regenerative agriculture programs should track sector-appropriate KPIs:

Sector	Primary KPI	Target Range	Measurement Frequency
Row Crops (Grain)	Soil Organic Carbon	+0.1-0.4% annual increase	Annual
Dairy	Enteric Methane Reduction	10-30% reduction	Quarterly
Produce	Water Use Efficiency	15-25% reduction	Seasonal
Livestock (Beef)	Pounds of beef per acre	20-40% increase	Annual
Almonds/Tree Nuts	Pollinator Diversity Index	>15 species observed	Seasonal
Supply Chain	% Verified Regenerative Acres	>25% by Year 3	Annual

What's Working

Supply Shed Approach

Rather than pursuing scattered farm-by-farm recruitment, leading companies are taking a "supply shed" approach—concentrating efforts in specific geographic regions where they can achieve critical mass, share infrastructure, and create peer-to-peer learning networks.

General Mills and Ahold Delhaize announced a September 2024 collaboration targeting 70,000+ acres in Kansas and Saskatchewan wheat and oat supply sheds by end of 2025. This builds on General Mills' $10 million investment in Kansas since 2020 across 10,000 acres. The concentrated approach enables:

Shared agronomist resources across multiple farms
Regional cover crop seed sourcing at volume discounts
Peer learning networks among neighboring farmers
Aggregated data for more robust outcome measurement

Farmer-Centric Financial Models

Transition risk represents the primary barrier to adoption. Farmers face 2-4 years of potential yield reduction during the transition period while building soil health. Successful programs address this directly through:

Risk-Share Agreements: General Mills' farmer partnership includes financial support during transition years, de-risking adoption for producers.

Premium Payments: Danone's dairy program pays farmers premiums for verified regenerative practices, with payments tied to measurable outcomes rather than practice adoption alone.

Ecosystem Service Payments: ESMC's 2024 Kansas pilot demonstrated that farmers could receive payments for carbon sequestration, GHG reduction, and water quality improvement—creating stacked revenue streams beyond commodity sales.

Technology-Enabled Verification

The integration of satellite imagery, soil sensors, and biogeochemical modeling has transformed the economics of verification. Regrow's platform, used by General Mills, PepsiCo, and others, can assess practice adoption and estimate environmental outcomes across millions of acres at a fraction of traditional soil sampling costs.

Danone North America's EcoPractices® platform, developed with Sustainable Environmental Consultants, provides the R3™ ROI tool measuring environmental, social, and economic impacts at the farm level. Their 2024 results documented 54,386 tons of carbon sequestered and 480,188 tons of soil erosion prevented across participating farms.

What's Not Working

Underestimating Transition Complexity

Organizations that treat regenerative agriculture as a simple practice swap—"just add cover crops"—consistently underperform. Regenerative systems are context-dependent; practices that work in Iowa corn-soy rotations may fail in California almond orchards.

The first 90 days should focus on assessment and planning rather than immediate practice changes. Companies that skip this phase often see farmers revert to conventional practices within two years, wasting initial investments.

Generic Certification Programs

One-size-fits-all certification schemes struggle to capture the diversity of regenerative outcomes. A grassland operation in Montana and a vegetable farm in California may both be "regenerative" while employing entirely different practices.

Outcome-based verification—measuring actual soil carbon changes, biodiversity improvements, and water infiltration rates—provides more meaningful accountability than practice checklists. However, outcome measurement requires the MRV infrastructure discussed above.

Ignoring the Farmer Value Proposition

Programs designed primarily to meet corporate sustainability targets, without clear farmer economic benefits, see low adoption and high dropout rates. The most successful initiatives (General Mills, Danone, ADM) treat farmers as partners, not suppliers to be mandated.

Farmers need to see net positive economics within 3-5 years. This requires:

Transparent data on costs and benefits from peer farmers
Access to transitional financing
Premium payments or ecosystem service revenue
Reduced input costs as soil health improves

Key Players

Established Leaders

General Mills — Pioneered corporate regenerative commitments with their 2019 pledge to advance regenerative agriculture on 1 million acres by 2030. Currently at 500,000 acres with partnerships spanning Walmart, Ahold Delhaize, and ESMC.

Danone — Leads in dairy regenerative programs with 58,000+ farmers worldwide and 75% of North American dairy volume from regenerative-transitioning farms. Strong focus on methane reduction partnerships with EDF and Cornell University.

Cargill — Operates the RegenConnect™ program across millions of U.S. acres, connecting farmers to carbon markets and providing agronomic support for practice transitions.

ADM — Committed to advancing regenerative agriculture on 4 million acres by 2025. Joint venture with Farmers Business Network (Gradable) provides digital infrastructure for practice verification.

Nestlé — Invested CHF 1.2 billion in regenerative agriculture initiatives through 2025. Strong focus on dairy supply chains in Europe and coffee/cocoa sourcing globally.

Emerging Startups

Indigo Agriculture — Pioneer in microbial seed treatments and carbon credit market infrastructure. The Indigo Carbon program has enrolled over 18 million acres.

Pivot Bio — Raised $430 million Series D in 2023 for microbial nitrogen fixation technology that reduces synthetic fertilizer dependency by 25-40%.

Klim — German AgTech startup raised €22 million Series A in 2024. Platform serves 3,500+ farmers managing 700,000 hectares across Europe.

Regrow — Provides satellite-based MRV infrastructure to major food companies. Technology tracks 175+ million acres globally with GHG Protocol-compliant reporting.

CIBO Technologies — Offers carbon credit program management and field-level verification using remote sensing and modeling.

Key Investors & Funders

Mad Capital — Specialty finance firm with Perennial Fund II targeting $50 million for regenerative agriculture lending. Backed by Rockefeller Foundation and Builders Vision.

Astarte Capital Partners — Raised $350 million for permanent crops regenerative fund focused on Chile and Peru.

Rabobank — Major agricultural lender with dedicated regenerative agriculture financing products and participation in multiple venture rounds.

USDA — Committed $3.1 billion for 141 climate-smart agriculture projects covering 25+ million acres through the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program.

Iroquois Valley Farmland REIT — Patient capital provider offering long-term financing and Soil Restoration Pool grants for organic and regenerative farmers.

Examples

1. General Mills + Walmart Partnership (2024): The two companies announced a joint initiative targeting 600,000 acres across North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Minnesota by 2030. Implementation occurs through National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) grants to local organizations providing farmer education and coaching. Key design element: regional concentration enables peer learning networks and shared agronomist resources, reducing per-farm implementation costs by an estimated 35%.

2. Danone North America Dairy Program (Year 5): After five years, Danone's regenerative dairy initiative demonstrates measurable outcomes at scale. 2024 results include 54,386 tons of carbon sequestered, 480,188 tons of soil erosion prevented, and 51,200 tons CO2e reduced (equivalent to energy use of 5,000 homes). The program covers nearly 150,000 acres and 75% of Danone's dairy milk volume. Critical success factor: the EcoPractices® platform provides farmers with real-time feedback on practice impacts, enabling continuous improvement.

3. ADM + Farmers Business Network (Gradable Joint Venture): Launched in 2024, Gradable combines ADM's supply chain reach with FBN's farmer network and digital infrastructure. The platform enables farmers to document regenerative practices, access carbon market opportunities, and receive agronomic recommendations. Early results show 40% faster farmer onboarding compared to traditional programs, attributed to FBN's existing trusted relationships with producers.

Action Checklist

Days 1-30: Assessment and Planning

Map current supply chain to identify priority crops and geographies for regenerative transition
Conduct baseline soil health assessment in target supply sheds (soil organic carbon, aggregate stability, biological activity)
Identify 3-5 anchor farmers in each priority region willing to serve as pilot partners
Select MRV technology partner with capability to scale beyond pilot phase
Define outcome-based KPIs aligned with corporate sustainability goals and farmer value proposition

Days 31-60: Partnership Development

Structure farmer agreements including transition financing, risk-share provisions, and premium payment mechanisms
Contract agronomist support for participating farmers (target 1 agronomist per 25-50 farms)
Establish data sharing protocols that protect farmer privacy while enabling outcome verification
Create peer learning network infrastructure (regional farmer groups, demonstration plots, annual field days)
Align internal procurement teams on regenerative sourcing targets and premium authorization

Days 61-90: Launch and Monitoring

Deploy MRV systems across pilot farms with farmer training on data input requirements
Implement first-season practice changes (cover crops, reduced tillage) with agronomist support
Establish monthly check-in cadence with participating farmers
Create dashboard for tracking KPIs across pilot cohort
Document learnings and develop plan for Year 2 expansion based on pilot results

FAQ

Q: How much does it cost to implement regenerative agriculture at scale? A: Implementation costs vary by crop system and geography, but benchmark data suggests $50-150 per acre in Year 1 (agronomist support, cover crop seed, MRV technology) declining to $20-40 per acre in subsequent years as practices become routine. Farmer premium payments add $10-30 per acre annually depending on verification outcomes. General Mills' Kansas investment of $10 million across 10,000 acres implies roughly $1,000 per acre over the multi-year program—though this includes extensive research and infrastructure development that wouldn't replicate fully in subsequent regions.

Q: What's the typical timeline to see measurable soil carbon increases? A: Measurable soil organic carbon increases typically require 3-5 years of consistent practice implementation. However, leading indicators (aggregate stability, water infiltration rates, biological activity) often improve within 12-24 months. Many successful programs focus early communication on these leading indicators while building the longer-term data set for carbon changes. Regrow's modeling approach enables estimation of carbon trajectory before physical measurement confirms accumulation.

Q: How do we verify claims without excessive costs? A: The hybrid approach combining remote sensing with strategic soil sampling has emerged as the cost-effective standard. Remote sensing (satellite imagery) at $1-5 per acre confirms practice adoption (cover crops, tillage reduction) at scale. Physical soil sampling ($25-50 per acre) occurs on a stratified sample (5-10% of fields) to validate model accuracy. This combination achieves 85-90% accuracy at 20-30% of full sampling costs. Companies like Regrow and CIBO Technologies offer turnkey platforms that bundle these approaches.

Q: Do regenerative practices reduce yields during transition? A: Research shows mixed results depending on starting soil health, climate conditions, and implementation quality. Rodale Institute's long-term trials show regenerative systems matching conventional yields after 3-5 year transition, with superior performance during drought years. However, some farms experience 10-20% yield reduction in transition years 1-3, particularly when adopting reduced tillage without adequate weed management support. This yield risk is precisely why transition financing and risk-share agreements are critical program design elements.

Q: How does regenerative agriculture connect to carbon markets? A: Farmers practicing regenerative methods can generate carbon credits from verified soil carbon sequestration. Programs like Indigo Carbon, CIBO Impact, and ESMC provide the MRV infrastructure and market access. Current prices range from $15-30 per ton of CO2e sequestered, with typical regenerative farms sequestering 0.5-2.0 tons per acre annually. This translates to $7.50-60 per acre in potential carbon revenue—material but not transformative for most operations. The larger value often lies in corporate premium payments and input cost reductions as soil health improves.

Sources

Grand View Research, "Regenerative Agriculture Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report, 2025-2033," January 2025
General Mills, "General Mills and Walmart Join Forces to Advance Regenerative Agriculture Across 600,000 Acres," Press Release, 2024
Danone North America, "Regenerative Agriculture Program Progress Report: Year 5 Results," December 2024
Regrow Ag, "General Mills Case Study: Monitoring Agriculture at Scale," 2024
McKinsey & Company, "The State of AI in 2024: Gen AI Adoption Spikes," May 2024
Ecosystem Services Market Consortium (ESMC), "Kansas Pilot Program Results," 2024
Rodale Institute, "Farming Systems Trial: 40-Year Report," 2024
USDA, "Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities: Program Overview," 2024
Conservation Finance Network, "Seeding New Capital: Private Financing for Regenerative Agriculture," July 2024
AgFunder News, "Regenerative Agriculture's Biggest Developments in 2024—and What They Mean for 2025," December 2024

Playbook: adopting regenerative agriculture in 90 days (angle 6)