Burger King, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Cargill Join Together to Help Conserve and Restore Grasslands and Wildlife Species Through Regenerative Agriculture Practices in the Southern Great Plains

Today, Burger King and Cargill announce a partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), the largest private conservation grant provider in the U.S., to support cattle ranchers committed to addressing climate change through regenerative agriculture practices in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. This five-year initiative with up to $5 million in funding, brings together two major beef brands dedicated to emissions reduction, reinforcing the important role beef and cattle play in helping the Great Plains thrive. The funding is expected to generate 1:1 matching contributions from NFWF, creating a total on-the-ground impact of up to $10 million.

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Burger King, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Cargill Join Together to Help Conserve and Restore Grasslands and Wildlife Species Through Regenerative Agriculture Practices in the Southern Great Plains (Photo: Business Wire)

Through this partnership, Burger King, Cargill and NFWF will bring financial and technical resources to ranching organizations in the Southern Great Plains to improve grassland management and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Southern Great Plains host a unique set of wildlife species that are specifically adapted to this grassland ecosystem, and many of these species are year-round residents that live on or migrate through ranching lands.

Today, NFWF awarded three grants made possible by Burger King and Cargill funding to ranchers in Kansas, New Mexico and Texas to support their efforts to plan and implement voluntary grassland management practices with consideration to the unique needs of their land.

"We, along with our research partner Working Lands Conservation, are thrilled by this amazing opportunity to support livestock producers in stewarding the Southern Great Plains," said Lesli Allison, Western Landowners Alliance executive director. "This project highlights the key role that ranchers and grazing animals play in maintaining grassland ecosystems, feeding our nation and sustaining the economic vitality of rural communities." Rancher and project partner Bret Riley added, “Building good prairie chicken habitat builds good cow habitat. These are win-win management strategies that we are proud to work with agency and conservation partners on.”