Accelerating a culture of change in the Cheney Lake Watershed
- Farmer Story
Fertile ground for partnership
Agriculture is intrinsically cultured – that is, shaped by tradition and community. Promoting regenerative agriculture is most successful when paired with a culture that embraces such innovation, a process that can take dedicated effort over many years.
That is why in 2020, when selecting a location to deepen our regenerative agriculture investments in the Southern Great Plains, General Mills chose the Cheney Lake Watershed in central Kansas, home to generations of farmers whose families have grown wheat that makes it to our flour mills in Kansas City and beyond. For decades, the local watershed organization has fostered a collaborative community of soil health-minded farmers, planting the seeds for an impactful partnership to accelerate innovation and adoption of regenerative agriculture.
This community support is especially crucial in the Cheney Watershed, given the importance of the Cheney Reservoir. As the primary drinking water source for Wichita, the largest city in Kansas, the Cheney Reservoir is the highest priority region in the state for addressing water quality impacts from agriculture. The reservoir is at risk from sediment buildup due to soil erosion and nutrient runoff from farms. For this reason, supporting regenerative agriculture to protect the Reservoir has been a top priority for the Kansas Department of Health & Environment, a key partner and co-investor in the region.
That is why in 2020, when selecting a location to deepen our regenerative agriculture investments in the Southern Great Plains, General Mills chose the Cheney Lake Watershed in central Kansas, home to generations of farmers whose families have grown wheat that makes it to our flour mills in Kansas City and beyond. For decades, the local watershed organization has fostered a collaborative community of soil health-minded farmers, planting the seeds for an impactful partnership to accelerate innovation and adoption of regenerative agriculture.
This community support is especially crucial in the Cheney Watershed, given the importance of the Cheney Reservoir. As the primary drinking water source for Wichita, the largest city in Kansas, the Cheney Reservoir is the highest priority region in the state for addressing water quality impacts from agriculture. The reservoir is at risk from sediment buildup due to soil erosion and nutrient runoff from farms. For this reason, supporting regenerative agriculture to protect the Reservoir has been a top priority for the Kansas Department of Health & Environment, a key partner and co-investor in the region.
Supporting a foundation of education and mentorship
To build on the momentum created by the watershed group, we invested in key resources like education and mentorship. This community and culture-building support is crucial.
Long-term success in regenerative agriculture requires a solid understanding of its principles, how they enhance farm ecosystems, and why healthy ecosystems are critical for farm profitability and resilience. Since 2020, we have supported free access for area farmers to attend Soil Health Academies, multi-day workshops where farmers gather to learn about these principles and their implementation.
In addition to educational opportunities, twenty-four farmers in the region have received up to five years of one-on-one support from Understanding Ag consultants like Shane New, a farmer in eastern Kansas.
Long-term success in regenerative agriculture requires a solid understanding of its principles, how they enhance farm ecosystems, and why healthy ecosystems are critical for farm profitability and resilience. Since 2020, we have supported free access for area farmers to attend Soil Health Academies, multi-day workshops where farmers gather to learn about these principles and their implementation.
In addition to educational opportunities, twenty-four farmers in the region have received up to five years of one-on-one support from Understanding Ag consultants like Shane New, a farmer in eastern Kansas.
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“With these individual producers,” New says, “it's humbling to witness…hearing them communicate, talking about how the soil functions, how it’s a biological system… and how that influences the energy cycle and the water cycle. That’s the whole objective. Building knowledge within these watersheds and these communities to help strengthen resiliency.”
Understanding outcomes and incentivizing positive impacts
Beyond fostering a strong community and providing educational resources, it is important to understand the real-world impacts of regenerative agriculture. Most research on singular practices like cover crops or no-till has been conducted in small research plots. There is a need to better understand the impact of multiple practices implemented together on real farms. As the twenty-four farmers adapted the regenerative principles to their farms, we partnered with researchers to monitor soil health, insect and bird biodiversity, and farm economics.
While analysis and publication of soil and biodiversity data are ongoing as of 2024, economic research we have supported demonstrates positive impacts on farmer profitability and resilience. And while a significant multi-year drought has impacted farmers throughout Kansas, some farmers like Austin Schweizer, who have implemented beneficial practices like no-till and cover crops for multiple years, have seen the benefits.
“When we started out in this field,” says Schweizer, standing in a field of wheat stubble, “we were near 0.5 percent organic matter in the soil. And in 2021 it was 1.2 percent. So, we were able to raise that with more soil health. We have more nutrients available, better water infiltration, and better soil stability. So, in the drought we’ve had the last three years I can lay in bed at night and know that my ground’s not blowing because I have residue, I have armor on the soil.”
Through our partnership with the Ecosystem Services Market Consortium, farmers can also receive payments for the positive outcomes they produce, such as greenhouse gas reduction and increased soil carbon sequestration. In 2023 alone, despite the drought, farmers in the program reduced or removed 2,700 metric tons of CO2 equivalents from the atmosphere, the equivalent of taking 630 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles off the road for a year.
These positive outcomes, both environmental and economic, are driving further momentum and expanding the reach of regenerative agriculture in the region.
While analysis and publication of soil and biodiversity data are ongoing as of 2024, economic research we have supported demonstrates positive impacts on farmer profitability and resilience. And while a significant multi-year drought has impacted farmers throughout Kansas, some farmers like Austin Schweizer, who have implemented beneficial practices like no-till and cover crops for multiple years, have seen the benefits.
“When we started out in this field,” says Schweizer, standing in a field of wheat stubble, “we were near 0.5 percent organic matter in the soil. And in 2021 it was 1.2 percent. So, we were able to raise that with more soil health. We have more nutrients available, better water infiltration, and better soil stability. So, in the drought we’ve had the last three years I can lay in bed at night and know that my ground’s not blowing because I have residue, I have armor on the soil.”
Through our partnership with the Ecosystem Services Market Consortium, farmers can also receive payments for the positive outcomes they produce, such as greenhouse gas reduction and increased soil carbon sequestration. In 2023 alone, despite the drought, farmers in the program reduced or removed 2,700 metric tons of CO2 equivalents from the atmosphere, the equivalent of taking 630 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles off the road for a year.
These positive outcomes, both environmental and economic, are driving further momentum and expanding the reach of regenerative agriculture in the region.
Spreading the knowledge, supporting each other
The collaborative efforts in the Cheney Watershed demonstrate the power of community-based approaches to accelerate adoption of regenerative agriculture. We aim to continue fostering a culture of shared learning and innovation, where farmers can support each other in changing the status quo.
As Chloe Gering, project manager at the watershed explains, “For the work we’ve done with General Mills, I really feel like the biggest gain we’ve made is in the community engagement. We’ve been able to host some producer meetings with great attendance. This has increased the volume. It is normalizing some of these practices.”
This expanding network of knowledgeable farmers is propelling regenerative agriculture forward, not just within the program participants, but across the region.
“I feel like that jumps, not just me, but our area forward,” notes Austin Schweizer. “Because now when we go to meetings and we have questions, all the farmers we stand around and answer each other’s questions.”
As Chloe Gering, project manager at the watershed explains, “For the work we’ve done with General Mills, I really feel like the biggest gain we’ve made is in the community engagement. We’ve been able to host some producer meetings with great attendance. This has increased the volume. It is normalizing some of these practices.”
This expanding network of knowledgeable farmers is propelling regenerative agriculture forward, not just within the program participants, but across the region.
“I feel like that jumps, not just me, but our area forward,” notes Austin Schweizer. “Because now when we go to meetings and we have questions, all the farmers we stand around and answer each other’s questions.”