No matter how tuned in or out of farming standards you might be, chances are you are aware that some foods are deemed "healthier" because of how they were raised. One example of this is organic farming, which includes everything from produce to coffee to wine. But what if there was another type of farming, an alternative to traditional and organic farming, that promised even more? This is where regenerative farming comes into play.

Thanks to a generous grant from General Mills, a global food company deeply committed to regenerative agriculture, the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) is excited to announce the creation of their farmer-led Cover Crop Coaches program.

General Mills, Walmart and Sam’s Club announced a collaboration today to help accelerate the adoption of regenerative agriculture on 600,000 acres in the U.S. by 2030.

As part of General Mills’ commitment to advance regenerative agriculture, the company today shared several new initiatives across its brands and through consumer-facing efforts that aim to protect the planet and support farmers. Strategic partnerships with American Farmland Trust and Rodale Institute will accelerate regenerative agriculture techniques across key regions in California and the Northern Great Plains.

Forty-five farms in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and North Dakota are headed into their second growing season working with General Mills on the adoption of “regenerative agriculture” practices as they grow oats for the multi-national food company. The three-year Regenerative Oat Pilot project, which involves more than 50 thousand acres, was launched last year as part of General Mills’ larger effort to have one million acres under regenerative agriculture practices in its supply chain by 2030. Read more in this article from Real Agriculture.

Cover crops have been used on American farms for over 75 years, but it wasn’t until 2012 that the practice really started to be tracked in annual surveys.