Farmers find profiting from soil health is elusive, so far

Sustainably grown food is big business for food companies, but few farmers are seeing the benefits.

Food companies make money by maximizing production and lowering costs. Procuring sustainably grown products from niche markets doesn't fit that model, says Assaria, Kansas, farmer Justin Knopf.

"The commodity system is efficient, fast, and made for handling in bulk," says Knopf, who farms with his father and brother on a fifth-generation farm.

Long-term no-tillers of wheat, corn, grain sorghum, alfalfa, and soybeans, the Knopfs grow cover crops after winter wheat harvest to build soil structure, reduce erosion, improve weed control, and provide feed for a neighbor's cow herd. They are prime examples of farmers who have adopted soil health practices for the right reasons.

As a key ingredient for hundreds of food products, wheat plays a pivotal role in food companies' sustainability initiatives. Many Top 100 food companies have developed plans to reduce the carbon footprint, develop pollinator habitat, and improve soil health within the supply chain.

"One of the questions we have as we improve the biological functioning of our soils is, will we see a measurable difference in grain quality?" Knopf says. Perhaps flour produced from wheat grown under a soil health regime is more stable, has better mixing stability, or improved protein content.

The Knopfs work with the Soil Health Partnership (SHP), which in 2020 started a pilot program to test grain quality in soil health systems, says Keith Byerly, field manager in Kansas and Nebraska for the SHP. Characteristics SHP evaluates include protein content, mixability of bread dough, and dough strength. Data collected this year will serve as a baseline for future comparisons, Byerly says. The hope is that food companies will notice farm operators like the Knopfs, who are adopting practices that sequester carbon, improve water quality, and reduce applications of crop protection products.

Those attributes resonate with consumers, says Sara Harper, founder of Grounded Growth, a network of farmers using soil health techniques, and with end users seeking to find food ingredients that use those techniques.

Grounded Growth helps farmers connect with small food companies that can more easily source small quantities of food ingredients and often have a passionate customer base willing to pay for high-quality food grown with regenerative practices, she says.

"At our core, we want to help farmers build relationships with food companies," she says. "It's heartbreaking to see farmers who produce grain sustainably, drop off their wheat at the elevator, and get the same price as farmers who don't.

"Frankly, most brands just are not willing to pay the farmer more for their superior crop," Harper says.

Grounded Growth is building partnerships with three small food brands, working with farmers to build direct-from-the-farm supply chains: Around the World Gourmet and Bella Gluten-Free.

"The plan is for these brands to not only purchase regenerative crops from the farmers in our network, but also to then sell the ingredients made from these crops to other brands," Harper says. "It's still a long road ahead, but we are actively building the infrastructure for a new way for farmers to capture more of the value they provide, because they will be partners with those turning their crops into ingredients."

Add Value to Wheat?

Consumers want food companies and retailers to bear the burden of making products more sustainable, says Jay Watson, sourcing sustainability engagement manager for General Mills. "We are one of the larger buyers of wheat in North America. [Wheat] is important both to General Mills and producers as part of a crop rotation," Watson says. "We're investing in soil health to bring resources where we can."

General Mills plans to turn 1 million acres of farmland to regenerative agriculture practices by 2030. It's partnering with an advisory group to develop pilot programs in the Northern Plains, including North Dakota and areas of Canada; the southern plains of Kansas; and Michigan.

Participating growers receive coaching, technical assistance, and customized management plans that combine soil health practices and farmer profitability. In turn, General Mills will source the region's food ingredients.

Consumers greatly benefit from a regenerative system, Knopf says. It's also time to reward farmers who use these systems, he adds.

"If we want adoption to scale, which is feasible, they need to think more strategically to share that value with farmers," he says. "That's a big ask, but it's disheartening to see the value doesn't go back to the farm."

Why wheat works

Growing winter wheat in a crop rotation has a host of benefits for farmers:

• Increased aggregate stability due to a prolific shallow root structure.
• Nitrogen retention in the root bundle.
• Residue that covers the soil surface.

Plus, winter wheat planted after soybean harvest is a cash crop the following summer, giving farmers plenty of options. They can either plant a cover crop into the wheat residue, or leave it until spring planting the following year.

"There are a lot of benefits, particularly in a system approach," says Melissa Carlson, vice president of research at the Minnesota Wheat Research and Promotion Council. "In the Red River Valley we grow a lot of sugar beets. Wheat helps break up the disease and weed cycle and adds diversity to the rotation."

From soybean planting in the spring to wheat harvest the following year is a whopping 15 months of living roots in the soil. Planting cover crops after wheat harvest can glean farmers another six months of living roots.

That's a lot of time to let plants work on improving soil, says Nathan Mueller, cropping systems educator for the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. "Wheat roots increase water-stable aggregates, which improves water infiltration into the soil. It also boosts physical and biological soil health," he explains.

Plus, wheat root masses contain nitrogen that's available for the next crop, Mueller says.

Based on research from Michigan State University (MSU), plant roots from winter wheat also enhance microbial activity and nutrient cycling. They also improve soil aggregation, say the MSU researchers.