Promoting smart-sustainability in agriculture
McCain’s Regenerative agriculture framework
(Sponsored) Committed to bringing smart and sustainable agriculture techniques to growers across the world, McCain continues to build their Regenerative agriculture framework through education, research partnership, data collection and more. By 2030, McCain plans to implement their Regenerative agricultural practices across 100% of their potato acreage worldwide.
Regenerative agriculture can be classified as an ecosystem-based approach to farming, aiming to enhance biodiversity, reduce the impact of synthetic inputs, improve farmer resilience and restore soil health, according to McCain.
McCain launched their Regenerative agriculture framework with a variety of stakeholders including growers, governmental organizations and academia.
Louis Laforge, farm manager of Portage Farm in Grand Falls, New Brunswick, Canada, began his journey in agriculture in 2005 with his wife and late father-in-law. Today, Laforge and Portage Farm have worked with McCain to implement Regenerative farming techniques learning to adapt to climate changes, rising input costs and other regulatory uncertainties.
“I would definitely say our farm has improved quite a bit since working with McCain and implementing these farming techniques,” Laforge said. “Regenerative agriculture takes time and patience. Ultimately, our fields are getting better and I’m seeing improvement with what we’re doing.”
One of the key Regenerative practices in potatoes are multispecies cover crops. Compared to a single-species cover crop, multispecies enhance biodiversity and regenerate soils. They can also increase nutrient cycling, improve water infiltration and decrease the risks of soil borne-pests and diseases.
When implementing Regenerative agriculture techniques, McCain works with growers and farmers to educate them on key principles and priority practices. McCain also optimizes the overall cost and benefits of transitioning to Regenerative agriculture.
Laforge, with the help of McCain, believes Regenerative agriculture can impact generations of farmers through its innovative practices.
“I think every farm should think about (implementing) Regenerative agriculture,” Laforge said. “You’ve got to be efficient with your farm. The way to be efficient is to take care of your land and improve it for years to come. There’s no way that farms are going to survive if they don’t change some techniques and adapt.”
© 2022 McCain To learn more about McCain visit https://www.mccain.com/sustainability/smart-sustainable-farming/
