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LifeLine Foods and PepsiCo Missouri Corn Climate Smart Project
LifeLine Foods and PepsiCo are collaborating to support row crop farmers in Missouri to adopt farming practices known to improve soil health and reduce greenhouse gases, while reducing long-term costs for farmers. This includes cover crops and nutrient management.
Active
Innovation
Engagement Targets
Notes: (1) Minor fluctuations in the number of retained growers is expected from year to year. These fluctuations may be due to year-over-year crop rotation effects or other factors beyond the control of the project. Enrolled acres represent the total number of acres on an individual farm in a specific year. The ability to report enrolled acres is based on the Fieldprint Project Standard requirement that individual growers enrolled in projects enter at least 10% of the acres managed for a specific crop. (2) Entered acres represent the actual number of enrolled acres for which data is entered in the Fieldprint Platform for analysis.
Objectives
Support farmers to plant at least 2,000 new acres of cover crops by the end of Year 1.
Measured through matching up cover crop seed receipts with farmer reported information on number of acres of cover crops planted.
- In partnership with Lifeline Foods and PepsiCo, PFI has funded 6,354 acres of cover crops in the past two years (3,455 acres in 2022 and 2,899 acres in 2023). In 2023, farmers planted on average 61% of their farmed acres to cover crops, and 1 farmer indicated that this program allowed them to plant more cover crops acres, stating that without this program they would have seeded 87 fewer acres of cover crops. Mean cover crop acres per contract was 207.8 but median cover crop acres per contract was only 200.
- This objective is now complete.
Measurably reduce GHGs on change acres compared to control acres / baseline.
See measurable ghg reductions by 2027.
- In 2023 we saw our intervention treatment, cover crops, having lower emissions, on average, per acre than our baseline of no cover crops. This is occurring despite a lower, on average, rate of Nitrogen being applied to cover crop fields on average (4 lbs. lower on average). The biggest difference in GHGs amongst the sub-categories comes from application energy.
- Due to the large amount of variation that we see across our sample population in emissions, we cannot report that the differences between average emissions are due to cover crops alone. However, when we consider an estimate of carbon sequestration, roughly 1,100 lbs. of CO2e per acre, then we do see that cover crops significantly benefit emissions.
- This year, once again, we saw our intervention treatment, cover crops, having lower emissions, on average, per acre than our baseline of no cover crops. This was not statistically significant, however, due to the variation amongst farmers. The biggest difference in GHGs amongst the sub-categories comes from nitrous oxide, which is directly linked to how much fertilizer farmers apply.
- Due to the large amount of variation that we see across our sample population in emissions, we cannot report that the differences between average emissions are due to cover crops alone.
Support farmers to plant at least 10,000 new acres of cover crops
Support farmers to plant at least 10,000 new acres of cover crops
- In 2024 we recruited 16 farmers between June and December who sold into the Lifeline supply chain. Of those, 13 farmers were paid for their cover crops.
- Seven farmers (44%) were new to the program in 2024. These new farmers primarily heard about the program from their USDA offices or through social media. Other participants were mostly program alumni that had enrolled in the cost-share in previous years. Three farmers continued in the program having signed a four-year contract in 2023 to conclude in 2026 - the remaining farmers signed up for the 2024 season only.
- Total acres funded are under the target at 2,919 acres. Farmers planted on average 31% of their farmed acres to cover crops, and 3 farmers indicated that this program allowed them to plant more cover crops acres, stating that without this program they would have seeded 812 fewer acres of cover crops. Mean cover crop acres per contract was 224.6 (up from 207.8 in 2023) but median cover crop acres per contract was only 103. This program continues to attract and retain experienced cover croppers: seven of the thirteen paid participants (54%) had four or more years experience with cover crops. In contrast, three participants had just a year or less of experience growing cover crops.
Participants
Project Lead Organization
PepsiCoFull
Implementation Partner
Practical Farmers of IowaFull
Project Partner
LifeLine FoodsNon-MemberThis Organization is a Licensee
Project Details
Status
Active
Pathway
Innovation
Primary Crops
Corn (grain)
Natural Resource Concern
Counties the project is located in: