Farmers Business Network (FBN) and Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) have partnered with the Walton Family Foundation to introduce a farmland financing program aimed at supporting farmers under economic strain. FBN announced this initiative in a press release on January 30.
"This program is an innovative example of using agriculture finance to facilitate regenerative ag," said Dan English, General Manager. "We're proud to work with the Walton Family Foundation and our partners [Gradable] to create a true win-win: a solution that reduces costs for farmers while promoting effective land stewardship at scale."
In January 2025, FBN launched the Regenerative Agriculture Financing (RAF) Land Loan pilot program. This initiative offers interest rate discounts ranging from 0.25% to 0.5% over seven years to about 20 farmers who implement sustainable soil and water health practices. Developed in collaboration with the Environmental Defense Fund and supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the pilot builds on ADM and FBN’s Gradable platform to incentivize improvements in soil and water health.
According to a recent report from Farm Progress, U.S. farmers are encountering significant economic challenges due to rising input costs, fluctuating crop prices, and increasing debt levels. These financial pressures are exacerbated by difficulties in accessing affordable capital as lenders adopt a more conservative stance amid projections of reduced farm income and weak profit margins.
In August 2024, ADM collaborated with Farmers Business Network to launch Gradable, a data-driven platform that tracks farm-level environmental metrics and connects them to new financial incentives. Through Gradable, farmers can earn interest rate discounts, sustainability premiums, and improved market access by meeting regenerative benchmarks. The initiative seeks to address a longstanding barrier to conservation adoption: access to tailored financing.
Farmers Business Network is a farmer-focused platform that assists independent growers in reducing costs, accessing financing, and enhancing their profitability. With over 100,000 members, FBN utilizes technology and data to bring transparency to the agricultural supply chain while providing tools that make farming more profitable and sustainable.
The Walton Family Foundation was established in 1987 by Walmart founders Sam and Helen Walton as a family-led philanthropic organization dedicated to creating opportunities for people and communities. According to its website, the foundation has invested over $35 million in agricultural conservation initiatives since 2020.