Where Science Meets Stewardship: The Story of Jenny Poling

As ADM’s Climate Smart Origination Manager for the Midwest region, Jenny Poling has reached more than 2.5 million acres across the Midwest--Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio--working with over 1,500 farmers and supply chain partners to advance regenerative agriculture.

Recognized for her outstanding leadership in supporting farmers’ journeys of continuous improvement, Poling was honored as Field to Market’s 2025 Trusted Adviser of the Year.

Rooted in Science

Jenny Poling’s path to becoming ADM’s Midwest Climate Smart Origination Manager didn’t start in an office—it started with plants and research.

Growing up on a small family farm, Poling grew familiar with agriculture at an early age. At Illinois State University, where she earned her degree in biology, this familiarity grew to a passion for plants and research and led to her work at the Plant Pathology Department at the University of Illinois.

“I really enjoyed that work and its whole process—running trials, collecting and interpreting the data, determining results and conclusions, and then being able to make recommendations,” Poling explains.

Later work as a Research Biologist with Bayer Environmental Science and SBM Life Science continued to support her growth, and her passion, of doing research and understanding how science impacts action. However, she realized something was missing.

“That work was incredibly fulfilling, but as I started to think about my next step, I realized I wanted to make a bigger impact on my children’s futures, the future of my local community, and really the overall climate,” remarks Poling. “That's what kind of led to some soul searching, me finding ADM, and specifically, really just skyrocketed my interest in regenerative agriculture.”

In 2022, she joined ADM as part of their re:generations™ program—the first hire of the team—helping to advance regenerative agriculture, support farmers, and create lasting impact. Her scientific grounding, curiosity, and care for people have made her one of ADM’s most respected leaders—and a trusted adviser to hundreds of farmers.

Building the Bridge: Farmers, Sustainability, and the Supply Chain

Poling’s work sits at the intersection of two worlds that haven’t always spoken the same language: the farm field and the global supply chain. Her mission is to build bridges between the people growing our food and those buying it.

Through ADM re:generations, a registered Fieldprint Project, she’s able to do just that, supporting the expansion of regenerative agriculture through programs that provide technical and financial support to farmers for their practices and tie to downstream customer goals.

Illinois farmer Derek Martin and his brother, Doug, have worked with Poling since she joined ADM. He describes her as someone who listens first and leads with empathy.

“She just gets it. She’s quick to answer her phone and she’s quick to call you back with an answer to a question you asked her,” Martin said. “She’s actually made many visits out to the farm to learn about what we’re doing—not because it’s her job title, but because she strives on an individual level to learn how all this stuff works so she can make herself better, ADM better, and the re:generations program better for everybody.”

Poling has also been integral in connecting farmers with major downstream partners in a way that once felt impossible.

“She brings people out to the farm to teach them. I’ve always said from the beginning that to make change, it’s not going to start at the farm—it’s going to start from the end users, and I think Jenny gets that,” says Illinois farmer Chase Brown. “She’s also brought people from China and from South Africa to central Illinois and put them on the farm. Those are conversations that have to be had, and she’s helped facilitate them.”

“Because of Jenny, we’re able to sit at the same table now and start to have these discussions on what downstream customers are looking for, what we’re doing, and how we can work together going forward,” adds Martin.

Her colleagues and partners see the same leadership, including Torey Colburn, Midwest Conservation Agronomist at American Farmland Trust, a technical assistance partner for the re:generations program.

“She’s become the face of the program, especially in Illinois. I get a lot of calls from farmers that say, ‘I talked with Jenny Poling at ADM, and she said I should call you,’” Colburn remarks. “She’s sort of the heartbeat of the program here. I don’t think the program would be as successful without her and her commitment to its success.”

From Data to Decisions

“Farmers are really the leaders in regenerative agriculture,” says Poling. “We need to share the work they’re doing and use their farms and successes as examples.”

Data is critical to helping her do just that. With Gradable, a tool integrated with Field to Market’s Fieldprint Platform®, she helps producers document their conservation practices and translate those indicators into actionable insights and financial rewards.

“The Fieldprint Platform is a huge part [of our work],” Poling remarks. “It helps us set some standards, some metrics, so that we can help farmers understand how that data impacts their operation, how their practices are helping, and how they compare with their region.”

When farmers get their customized farmer report at the end of each year, they’re able to see the impacts of their practices on things like greenhouse gas emissions, soil carbon, and water quality, all displayed in a way that’s easy to understand.

“I never really had an idea where we were [on our scores],” says Brown. “Now, it’s almost a game. I look forward to that report coming out every year and think, ‘we’ve got to beat these numbers, we’ve got to do better than this, we’ve got to be above average.’”

Her leadership has also deepened farmers’ understanding of how conservation practices connect to profitability. By helping them see the tangible value of their data—whether through improved efficiency, lower inputs, or premiums for reduced emissions—she’s reframing the conversation around regenerative agriculture.

"The Fieldprint Platform... helps us set some standards, some metrics, so that we can help farmers understand how that data impacts their operation, how their practices are helping, and how they compare with their region.”
Jenny Poling Midwest Climate Smart Origination Manager ADM

The Importance of Teamwork

For Poling, success in regenerative agriculture is never a solo effort. She often says that collaboration—between agronomists, account managers, sustainability specialists, downstream partners, and farmers themselves—is the foundation of lasting change.

“Jenny has been a leader within the team,” said Keith Koch, Climate Smart Origination Manager, Western Region, at ADM. “She continually pushes herself and the team to do more, to ultimately be better for our farmers and our customers. She’s had her fingerprint on every piece of ADM’s re:generations program.”

ADM’s regenerative agriculture effort is a massive team operation, involving more than 120 origination representatives and account managers across multiple states who work directly with farmers. Poling serves as both a connector and a coach for this network—translating complex goals into the kind of clear, actionable guidance that helps the whole team succeed.

“She covers some of our biggest states and she’s also educating other originators that have farmers signing up,” explains Paul Scheetz, Director of Climate-Smart Ag Origination at ADM. “If you would drill down into the amount of cover crops that have been added under her watch—either her signing people up or her educating originators that have gotten signups—it’s incredible. She’s been a leader in every aspect.”

Internally, Poling is known for her consistency and commitment to communication. “We meet at least once a week as a team,” she shares. “Even when there’s nothing pressing, we keep those meetings because there’s always something to learn from each other—whether it’s what’s happening in another region, an update from a partner, or a challenge someone’s working through.” That regular cadence helps ADM’s teams align their regional efforts and share learnings that ripple across the entire program.

From her colleagues’ perspectives, Jenny’s leadership is as much about her energy as it is about her expertise. “She makes it so easy to work with. She’s curious, she’s passionate, and she’s my energy booster,” says Scheetz. “There’s no task that’s impossible for her. There’s nothing that we feel like we can’t accomplish with her on the team.”

Koch agrees, noting how her positivity keeps the team moving forward, even through challenges. “Her passion and her drive have made this program so invaluable to so many,” he says. “She’s phenomenal at seeing what’s coming and solving problems before they negatively impact any of our farmer customers.”

A Legacy in the Making

Poling’s influence can be felt across ADM’s regenerative agriculture network, where she’s helped transform sustainability from a corporate initiative into a shared mission among hundreds of colleagues and farmers.

“She’s as big of a contributor to our success as anybody,” says Scheetz. “We lean on her to be a leader in the space—not only in accomplishing our goals and our targets, but also by co-designing what a good program looks like by having open and honest conversations with everybody we partner with.”

“I think her commitment to healthy soil, sound farming practices, and farmer success goes well beyond this program,” says Colburn. “That’s what her legacy should be.”

It’s a legacy built on humility and trust. Whether she’s presenting to the team, walking a field with a farmer, or hosting a cross-sector conversation with downstream companies, Poling keeps the focus on farmers and their impact.

“I want my legacy to be supporting farmers, helping them and connecting them to resources so that they can be successful with their operations and hopefully be able to pass it down to the next generation,” says Poling.

As regenerative agriculture continues to evolve, Poling’s influence will endure not only in the acres enrolled or the metrics improved, but in the culture of collaboration she’s fostered—one built on curiosity, communication, and care for both people and the planet.

Her story is one of regeneration in every sense of the word: regenerating soils, strengthening communities, and inspiring a generation of farmers, scientists, and colleagues to work together toward a more sustainable future.