Kerry Group announced grant from USDA to help cultivate sustainable agricultural practices in the Midwest

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In a December 16, 2024, press release, Kerry Group announced that its “Midwest Greener Future” initiative had received a grant from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), funded through the Farm Bill and the Inflation Reduction Act. The $21 million grant was awarded under the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). According to its website (1), the RCPP is “a partner-driven approach to conservation that funds solutions to natural resource challenges on agricultural land.” Noting the company’s history of supporting farm-level initiatives in Ireland, the press release explained how it is using a comprehensive and farm-centered approach to implement sustainable agricultural practices in the US Midwest.

Focusing on supporting dairy and crop supply chains in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, and Indiana, the goals of “Midwest Greener Future” initiative are to decrease environmental impacts, increase climate resilience, and ultimately create a more sustainable food system in the US over the next five years. Specifically, it aims reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve water quality, and reduce nutrient runoff.

“Kerry is grateful to the USDA for this grant, which will support farmers and partners to accelerate climate and nature-focused practices, fostering a greener, more resilient future for agriculture in the Midwest,” stated Mike Gransee, Kerry’s Vice President of Responsible Sourcing, in the press release.

As noted in the press release, the initiative plans to:

• Use the synthetic organic compound 3-NOP to cut enteric emissions from dairy cows by 59,800 metric tons
• Reduce manure storage emissions by 22,500 metric tons
• Achieve 327,491 metric tons of emission reductions and carbon sequestration in crop production
• Prevent 3,056,585 pounds of nitrogen and 218,328 pounds of phosphorus from contaminating water sources

Kerry Group also recently announced results from a study that tested food waste reduction strategies using their food waste estimator. Created in 2022, the tool estimates the impact of food waste reduction based on data input by the user from categories such as product type, region, current shelf life, additional days of shelf life to simulate, and more.

Reference

1. Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Regional Conservation Partnership Program https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-initiatives/rcpp-regional-conservation-partnership-program (accessed Dec 17, 2024).