McDonald’s USA has announced its largest investment to date in regenerative agriculture, unveiling the Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), the US Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and key suppliers.
The initiative will channel more than $200 million over seven years to support regenerative grazing practices, habitat restoration, and water and wildlife conservation on cattle ranches covering up to 4 million acres across 38 states. Participating ranchers will gain access to tools and resources to improve soil health, conserve water, and enhance wildlife habitats, while also receiving financial incentives to strengthen supply chain resilience.
McDonald’s suppliers including Cargill, Golden State Foods, Lopez Foods, OSI and The Coca-Cola Company will contribute funds to NFWF alongside McDonald’s. NFWF will administer the programme by awarding competitive grants to organisations working with ranchers to advance regenerative practices and conservation outcomes.
“As a brand that serves more than 90% of Americans every year, we recognise the responsibility we have to help safeguard our food systems for long-term vitality,” said Cesar Piña, Senior Vice-President and Chief Supply Chain Officer, North America. “Through our support of this initiative, McDonald’s USA is demonstrating the power of partnership between the public and private sectors and that feeding the population and stewarding our natural resources can coexist.”
Jeff Trandahl, chief executive of NFWF, added: “When cattle are managed to optimise multiple ecological and economic values, the land holds more water, grows better grass and supports more wildlife. Conservation practices voluntarily adopted by ranchers can improve the productivity of grasslands, increase ranching profitability and strengthen the vitality of rural communities across the United States.”
NFWF will coordinate with conservation partners to identify large-scale projects expected to deliver the most significant ecological and economic benefits. The first round of grant awards is due to be announced in January 2026. Independent monitoring of soil health improvements will be carried out by Kateri and Carbon Yield on behalf of McDonald’s USA.
