Bunge and Nutrien expand sustainable farm program across North America

Bunge and Nutrien, two major players in the agriculture sector, are expanding a joint initiative launched in 2023 to promote sustainable farm management practices among U.S. farmers.

The partnership, aimed at improving conservation efforts and strengthening supply chains across North America, combines Nutrien’s crop consulting services and digital tools with Bunge’s contracting and commercialization expertise. Early efforts centered on soybean farmers located near Bunge’s crushing facilities in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Decatur, Indiana.

Farmers participating in the program receive soil, water and tissue testing, fertility and chemistry applications, and access to Nutrien’s Agrible platform, which tracks data and field practices. In return, Bunge works with growers to handle harvest logistics and post-harvest sales, integrating sustainable crops into its oilseed supply chains.

“We’ve released this program at two of our locations and had a great mix of growers engaged,” said Justin McAllister, Bunge’s regenerative agriculture lead, during an episode of Nutrien’s FARMSMART podcast.

Conservation practices promoted under the initiative include cover cropping, reduced tillage, nutrient management and crop rotation diversification. By encouraging these techniques, the companies aim to enhance soil health, lower carbon emissions and improve long-term farm profitability.

Sally Flis, director of sustainable agriculture programs at Nutrien, emphasized the need for solid data to back up the conservation claims. “If we can’t show what a grower has done and what the practice changes that they’re making is, we can’t measure that impact,” she said. Nutrien offers several methods to help farmers collect and manage field data, aiming to streamline decision-making and demonstrate improvements to supply chain partners.

The companies say the program is gaining traction as more farmers see the value of joining. “The fastest way to get people to adopt new changes is to get their neighbors to adopt the new changes,” said FARMSMART podcast host Dusty Weis. “As folks are participating in this program and seeing the benefits, it spreads.”

Building on initial success, Bunge and Nutrien are expanding the initiative to three more facilities in the Eastern Corn Belt and are broadening crop options to include corn and wheat.

Nick Sommers, a precision agriculture specialist for Nutrien in Central Indiana, said the program helps farmers find new revenue streams tied directly to conservation efforts. “Our partnership with Bunge provides us an opportunity to reward them for the conservation practices they currently run as well as incentivize them for adopting new practices,” he said. “At the location level, we have been able to build stronger business relationships with our customers by providing these solutions that tie back into the agronomic needs of our grower customers.”

The initiative highlights how agribusiness companies are increasingly blending commercial goals with environmental stewardship, betting that sustainability practices can also help secure long-term supply and meet growing consumer and regulatory demands.