Agricultural Resiliency

Million Acre Camelina Study
‍A broad group of partners convened by the MBOLD Coalition and U of M Forever Green is launching a new effort to build a roadmap for scaling up winter camelina production to one million acres across our region. The roadmap will evaluate key scaling unlocks and recommended action strategies addressing on-farm economics, research needs, and supply chain and market development, among other issues.‍

Strenghtening Farmer Support for Emerging Crops
‍Farmers considering alternative or additional crops that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create new revenue opportunities need practical tools to address weather‑related uncertainty, especially when those crops introduce different planting and harvest windows relative to existing rotations. MBOLD is evaluating ways to support farmers growing multi‑species crop rotations that include winter cover crops, beginning with winter camelina. In close collaboration with Compeer Financial, Cargill, and the University of Minnesota Forever Green program, MBOLD is exploring public and private approaches that can support farmers as they assess winter‑hardy camelina alongside traditional cropping systems. As part of that work, Cargill is offering a pilot Camelina Moisture Program for eligible U.S. farmers who contract with Cargill to grow winter camelina.

The Minnesota Agriculture Resilience Initiative (MARI)
The Nature Conservancy-led MARI coalition is working to increase collaboration across the agricultural landscape to improve soil health, water quality, farm profitability, climate resilience and rural vitality in Minnesota. MARI aims to build a strong collaboration of stakeholders across the state—including farmers, agricultural companies, conservation organizations, government entities, and more—to collaboratively develop strategies to advance regenerative agriculture practices and meet Minnesota’s ambitious water and climate goals. MBOLD is mobilizing business engagement in this effort.
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