PepsiCo Supplier Flexible Sustainable Sourcing and Climate Smart Project
PepsiCo and Practical Farmers of Iowa are partnering to help farmers implement regenerative agricultural practices across PepsiCo’s corn and soybean sourcing regions in the Midwest.
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
In 2022, we continued to grow the program at a quick pace, surpassing our target acres and completing our goal.
PFI worked with 1,641 growers to cost-share 430,064 acres of cover crops in 2023, completing our goal.
PFI worked with 2120 growers to cost-share 552,674 acres of cover crops in 2024.
- In 2025, PFI recruited 2,890 farmers between June and December who sold into the PepsiCo supply chains. Of those, 2,408 farmers, planting 616,441 acres of cover crops completed the program and were paid for their cover crops, which is 89% of the farmers who received a contract. Specifically, 1,464 farmers in the Supplier Flex supply chain planted 564,796 acres of cover crops.
- Overall PepsiCo supply chain farmers, 426 were new to the program in 2025, illustrating that the vast majority of participants were alumni of the 2024 cost-share. In the wrap-up survey, 93% of respondents indicated that they are very likely or somewhat likely to refer the program to a friend or fellow farmer. 1,320 farmers are already re-enrolled for 2026 due to their long-term agreements, which will expire in March 2027. Of the remaining participants, the overwhelming majority of farmers (1,066) expressed interest in the next-year's program and asked to be contacted in Spring 2026. In total, over 99% of participants indicated that they would be interested in participating again in the Cover Crop Cost-Share.
- Total acres funded are below the goal, due in part to a shorter recruitment period following the loss of federal funding. Farmers reported planting an average of 60% of their farmed acres to cover crops this year, an increase of nearly 10% from last year. Twenty-two percent of program participants reported an increase in cover crop acreage as a result of the PFI cost-share program. Mean cover crop acres per contract was 348, but the median was 198 acres due to a few very large contracts raising the mean.
- PFI asked several questions to understand participant satisfaction in 2025, including the following: How likely are you to refer this program to a friend or to other farmer next year? To which, 66% said they were very likely to refer the program, 24% said they were somewhat likely, and 7% said they weren’t sure. This equates to an outstanding net promoter score of 58.
- PFI also inquired about farmers’ use of cover crops on their farms, and learned the following: PFI asked: “How does using cover crops impact your farm financial goals?” Three in four farmers (74%) responded positively or very positively.
- PFI inquired about farmers’ total acres of cover crops on their farms and total farmed acres, and calculated that the average PFI CCCS farmer planted 59% of their farmed acres to cover crops in 2025.