Beef has been at the core of McDonald’s menu and identity since it first opened its doors 70 years ago.
Today, McDonald’s USA is announcing its participation in an initiative that helps demonstrate its continued commitment to responsible beef sourcing and stewardship of natural resources.
McDonald’s USA is unveiling its largest investment in regenerative agriculture to date with the launch of the Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative, along with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) as well as key McDonald’s U.S. suppliers.
This initiative will invest more than $200 million over the next seven years to help promote and accelerate regenerative grazing practices, habitat restoration, water and wildlife conservation on cattle ranches spanning 4 million acres across up to 38 states. Through the Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative, participating ranchers will have the opportunity to leverage tools and resources to help them improve wildlife habitats, conserve water, and enhance soil health. McDonald’s USA also believes that this initiative will help boost its U.S. supply chain resilience, including by providing participating ranchers economic returns such as incentive payments.
Certain McDonald’s USA suppliers, including Cargill, Golden State Foods, Lopez Foods, OSI and The Coca-Cola Company have elected to provide funds to NFWF alongside McDonald’s USA. NFWF will independently award competitive grants to organizations that will assist participating ranchers in adopting practices that advance wildlife conservation and regenerative agriculture.
“As a brand that serves more than 90% of Americans every year, we recognize 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.”
Many ranchers take pride in serving as stewards of the land, taking care of their communities to help create a better and brighter future. Building off current ranch-level best practices, this initiative will provide new pathways and resources to help accelerate regenerative grazing for ranchers, like those who are invaluable to McDonald’s U.S. supply chain. NFWF’s selected partner organizations will work with ranchers to help improve grazing land management, protect and restore grasslands and other natural ecosystems, safeguard water, and upgrade ranch infrastructure such as fencing and water systems.
“The benefits of grassland conservation are far-reaching,” said Jeff Trandahl, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer at NFWF. “When cattle are managed to optimize 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.”
As part of this initiative, NFWF will manage and invest conservation funding to advance ranchers in their voluntary conservation efforts. NFWF is collaborating with its conservation partners across America’s grasslands to identify impactful landscape-scale projects that will generate the greatest possible benefits to both wildlife populations and the productivity of vital U.S. ranch lands. The first round of competitive grant-making will culminate in the announcement of awards, expected in January 2026.
On behalf of McDonald’s USA, Kateri and Carbon Yield will provide independent monitoring and quantification of any improvements to soil health.
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McDonalds USA
