Jun 26, 2024McCain to add Innovation Hubs at 2 US potato farms in 2024
McCain Foods is expanding its network of Innovation Hub farms across North America, including new operations in Wisconsin and Maine.
The hubs provide commercial-scale research trials in growing regions as an opportunity for learning and transparency, according to a news release. The expansion furthers McCain’s goal of implementing regenerative agriculture practices across 100% of its global potato acreage by the end of 2030.
This year, new Innovation Hub farms will be established on potato farms in Wisconsin, Maine and Alberta, Canada, with another established on an onion farm in Idaho. These new farms will join established research hubs in Idaho, Washington and Manitoba.
“Regenerative agriculture is a core part of our mission to grow food in a smart and sustainable way,” Dan Metheringham, North America vice president of Agriculture and Sustainability, said in the release. “We are currently writing what promises to be a defining chapter for sustainable agriculture, and we are proud of the work our team and partners are doing from the ground up.”
The Innovation Hubs serve as local, regionally accessible extensions of its Farms of the Future project. McCain’s flagship Farm of the Future in New Brunswick, Canada, is helping provide a better understanding of regenerative agriculture practices and their impact, costs and benefits. At Innovation Hubs, trials and findings are applied at commercial scale to address environmental challenges faced in each local region, according to McCain.
“Farmers are conducting commercial-scale trials so we can learn fast — and fail fast — with new practices and new varieties, then share that knowledge with local growers,” Metheringham said. “The early signs are positive: A significant percentage of growers who visit our Innovation Hubs express their intent to implement new practices on their own farms.”
Founded in 1957 in Florenceville, New Brunswick, McCain is the world’s largest manufacturer of frozen potato products, employing approximately 22,000 people in 53 production facilities on six continents. McCain’s products, including prepared appetizers and snacks, can be found in restaurants and retail stores in more than 160 worldwide. The company generates annual sales of more than $14 billion CAD ($10.2 billion USD).
