REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

the masses on a global scale is a challenge, especially considering that in the US alone only about 1.5% of the 900 million acres suitable for farming is done so regeneratively.

That puts smaller bakers at the forefront of downstream contributions in terms of product innovation and consumer education, due in part to their nimbler operations and pricing flexibility with retail customers.

Kansas City, KS-based Farm to Market Bread Co. is one of those operations. The bakery, which serves wholesale and retail customers, recently partnered with Farmer Direct to use its hard red winter wheat, hard white wheat and stone-ground rye flours.

“Quality was a high priority when we made the decision to transition, and we see the results in our products,” said John Friend, CEO of Farm to Market. “Being able to be more conscious about where our wheat is coming from as far as having a positive impact on the environment is an added plus.”

Manhattan, KS-based Radina’s Bakehouse, which also sources flour from Farmer Direct Foods, also sees the opportunities that come with using locally sourced, regenerative ingredients.

“There’s a new wave of regenerative agriculture coming, and we want to join that conversation,” said Santiago Bonilla, bakery production manager of Radina’s. “Our goal is to educate our customers so regenerative agriculture can be scaled.”

When St. Louis-based Bright Future Foods, makers of Airly snacks, set out to develop the first-ever climate friendly snacks, designed to remove greenhouse gases from the air, it intentionally sought out farmers already practicing regenerative agriculture and worked with them to add practices and measurement to validate the act of growing grains as a carbon sink.

“We asked them to add one or two more [regenerative agriculture] farming practices and allow us to do a farm-level life cycle analysis,” said Kris Corbin, chief supply chain officer and co-founder of Bright Future Foods. “The growers who participate in the Airly Agriculture program receive premium payments for the extra data collection as well as when they achieve carbon negative results.”

While there’s no doubt that using flour sourced from regenerative farms is good for the environment and helps meet consumer demand for better-foryou, better-for-the-planet baked goods, it must also make good business sense, especially in an industry with thin profit margins

“At the end of the day, for-profit and non-profit businesses have to be able to support their mission, and profit is incredibly important,” Harrison noted. “When regenerative practices lead to greater profit for the farmer, when the cost of producing products comes down