ADM and Bayer collaboration help farmers achieve lower carbon emissions

(Posted on 19/06/24)

 ADM and Bayer have announced an extension of their collaboration, working with farmers in a bid to drive the further adoption of regenerative agricultural practices in Europe.

ADM is an essential global agricultural supply chain manager and processor, providing food security by connecting local needs with global capabilities. They are a premier human and animal nutrition provider, offering one of the industry’s broadest portfolios of ingredients and solutions from nature.

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition.

Last year, the companies embarked on a feasibility study to evaluate the impact of regenerative agriculture practices in curbing carbon emissions, increasing biodiversity and improving soil health. They worked with oilseed rape farmers covering approximately 9,000 hectares in Poland to conduct an in-depth on-farm risk assessment that evaluated carbon emissions reduction potential while building grower-specific roadmaps for the transition to regenerative agriculture. This preliminary assessment showed that carbon emissions from those hectares relying on at least one regenerative agricultural practice were 15% lower than those of conventional farms. The analysis suggests that emissions reductions could be up to 40% for farmers comprehensively adopting regenerative agriculture practices.

As part of the next stage of the collaboration, the program will expand into a broader range of crops such as corn, wheat and barley, and geographically across Eastern Europe. Farmers will be provided with financial and technical support to implement qualifying regenerative agriculture practices, including:

Minimum Tillage

Cover Crops

Companion Crops

Nutrient Management

Use of Organic Matter/Manure

Crop Rotation

ADM will compensate participating farmers for each qualifying hectare, measured and verified using Bayer’s digital capabilities in collaboration with Trinity Agtech’s Sandy platform. The Sandy platform is a recognized solution backed by science that complies to the highest standards available in the market, with an easy-to-use tool for growers.

In addition to financial support, participating farmers receive agronomic guidance from specialized professionals. That support starts with a deep agronomical understanding of issues specific to each region in which the program is taking place, followed by individualized on-farm assessments, where agronomists visit fields and together with farmers design development plans tailored for each farm. Farmers are able to share their experiences with one another and discuss different techniques during field visits and peer learning opportunities.

The 2023 feasibility program was critical to shaping a larger-scale effort. Listening to the perspectives of growers was important to ensure all factors specific to the local region were considered. Primary data collection for greenhouse gas emission calculations and soil analysis with carbon sequestration measurement allowed the growers, ADM and Bayer to gain valuable insight into current environmental impacts and potential emission reduction opportunities as the program expands.

“We have been practicing regenerative agriculture for 15 years. We are constantly improving things. We tested first on a smaller area and based on the results, we decided to implement it on a larger area. Thanks to these activities, our carbon footprint is lower,” said Karol Pietnoczka, a farmer from West Pomerania.

“We conduct regenerative agriculture practices on the farm because it is profitable for us. However, they must be well balanced with other agronomic practices to achieve farm-wide success,” said Piotr Hulanicki, a farmer from Warmia-Masuria.

Latest News

Robe River JV to invest $733m to extend Western Australia iron ore mine

Rio Tinto, Mitsui and Nippon Steel will invest $733 million1 (Rio Tinto share $389 million) to develop... Read more

Cargill deploys AI robot dog 'Spot' to enhance safety, reliability and innovation

Cargill has introduced Boston Dynamics’ four-legged robot, Spot, at its Amsterdam Multiseed crush... Read more

Holcim strengthens West Australia presence with BGC acquisition

Holcim Australia has announced that Cement Australia (CA) - its joint venture with Heidelberg Materials... Read more

Heidelberg takes final investment decision for CCS project in UK

Heidelberg Materials and the UK Government have reached a funding agreement to build the world&rsquo... Read more

Bunge signs agreement to acquire grain elevator assets of North West Terminal

Bunge has signed a purchase agreement to acquire the grain elevator assets of North West Terminal Ltd... Read more

SSAB achieves IEA threshold for near-zero CO2e emissions steel

SSAB Zero steel produced with hydrogen-reduced iron from HYBRIT technology is the world’s first... Read more

Trafigura expands $400M US EXIM-Backed Revolving Credit Facilities

Trafigura, a global leader in the commodities industry, has successfully renewed and expanded the scope... Read more

Bunge and Bangkok Produce Merchandising expand soy supply partnership

Bunge and Bangkok Produce Merchandising Public Company Limited, a subsidiary of Charoen Pokphand Group... Read more

NGFA applauds Senate confirmation of USDA Under Secretaries

The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) has commended the U.S. Senate for confirming three key... Read more

Agreement secures long-term bulk logistics capacity for South African miner

Transnet SOC Ltd and Tshipi é Ntle Manganese Mining (Pty) Ltd have concluded a milestone 10-year... Read more