DENVER — Ardent Mills LLC, which in June launched a major expansion of its regenerative agriculture program, said it has enrolled 37,480 acres of spring wheat and winter wheat across Idaho and Kansas, approximately 15% of the way toward its 2021 target of 250,000 acres. Progress on the program was shared as part of the Nov. 10 release of the company’s second annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report.

“In 2021, Ardent Mills officially launched its regenerative agriculture program in partnership with Nutrien Ag Solutions,” Ardent noted in the report. “The program is designed to strengthen the soil ecosystem and help producers improve their farms’ productivity and profitability.”

Ardent Mills currently operates regenerative agriculture programs in nine key geographies across the United States and Canada, with a long-term goal of establishing projects in almost every region that it sources its raw commodities.

“This will allow us to better nourish the communities where we operate and help ensure a sustainable crop supply for the future,” Ardent said.

Ardent said it also made significant strides in 2021 on renewable energy procurement. The company said 23.6% of all electricity will be powered by renewable sources by the end of 2021, well on its way to its goal of 50% of US electricity usage powered by renewable energy by 2025. Ardent said it has revised its goal to now include its Canadian operations by 2025.

“We are working diligently to achieve this goal through a mix of projects, including directly sourcing renewable energy and retaining project-specific renewable energy credits (RECs), engaging in community solar projects, and purchasing replacement RECs to support green claims (we only purchase RECs to support our 50% goals when necessary),” Ardent noted in the report.

In the area of responsible sourcing, Ardent has set a 2025 goal of 100% sourcing of palm oil sustainably and 100% SFI-certified packaging. As of 2021, Ardent said 97.8% of its palm products are sustainably sourced. Meanwhile, the company has achieved 100% SFI-certified packaging for all of North America.

“Our bold spirit of innovation and imagination has enabled us to bring sustainable thinking into the forefront of all that we do,” said Dan Dye, chief executive officer of Ardent Mills. “We’ve made important progress this last year and will continue to champion these critical initiatives across all facets of our business to achieve even greater goals in the years ahead.”

For additional information on the company’s progress on its people and nutrition pillars, click here.