CANZA announces launch of "Million Acre Challenge" to help scale regenerative farming practices across Canada

Working with Canadian farmers, CANZA aims to advance regenerative practices across 365,000 acres within five years.

CALGARY, AB, Oct. 7, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, at the 2025 Food Leadership Summit, CANZA (the Canadian Alliance for Net-Zero Agri-food) is unveiling the Million Acre Challenge, a bold new initiative to scale regenerative farming practices in Canada. Launched with a catalytic contribution of $7 million from the Weston family--as part of the family's $50M commitment toward regenerative agriculture in Canada--the Challenge will work with farmers to accelerate economically viable and environmentally sustainable farming practices that support a thriving, resilient Canadian agricultural sector and food system.

Tobias Burgin (Eusi Farms) and his children walk through one of their corn fields. Eusi Farms is one of the largest beef producers in Ontario and will be one of the first participants in the Million Acre Challenge. (CNW Group/Canadian Alliance for Net-Zero Agri-food (CANZA))

Developed with Canadian farmers, the initiative will offer participating farmers targeted cost-sharing incentives to derisk the move toward regenerative practice adoption, and help bridge the gap to financial sustainability. These will be accompanied by agronomic support and access to a user-friendly online portal of public and private incentive programs.

"It's time to recognize and reward farmers for the value they create – for people, climate, and nature – through regenerative farming practices," says Nick Betts, CANZA's executive director. "The Million Acre Challenge is about everyone collaborating together, across the full value chain, to scale these practices on the ground."

Designed with farmers to reduce the risk of change on the ground, the Challenge was made possible by a contribution from the Weston family. "Farmers are core to Canadian prosperity, and our national resilience requires sustainable practices that create value across the agricultural supply chain," says Galen Weston, Chairman of Loblaw Companies Limited. "We're proud to make this contribution to launch the Million Acre Challenge as part of our family's $50 million commitment towards regenerative agriculture in Canada."

With an eye to expanding nationally in the years ahead, the initiative is actively recruiting farmers in Southwestern Ontario's cornbelt for its first and second cohorts. The region's farmers have already made significant strides in climate-smart agriculture, which the Challenge will build on with the aim of further reducing carbon emissions in many of Canada's agricultural supply chains including beef, corn, wheat, fuel, and other livestock.

A wide range of regenerative practices will be eligible under the program, recognizing that each farm is unique and requires flexibility to choose what works best for them.  This is a critical feature of the program, according to John Baker, director, business development for the Ontario Corn Fed Beef program. "This Challenge will appeal to a broad spectrum of certified Ontario Corn Fed Beef producers, from early adopters to farmers just starting out on their journeys. Ontario Corn Fed Beef is looking forward to working with the CANZA team on bringing this opportunity to our members."

Each year, the Challenge will look to enroll additional farmers while continuing to support those already in the program to expand new practices over additional acres of farmland. CANZA's aim is to scale progress at an exponential rate through 2030 and beyond.

To learn more about the Million Acre Challenge visit:  www.CANZA.ca/MillionAcreChallenge

ABOUT CANZA
CANZA, a Generate Canada Solution Space, is a leading multi-stakeholder agriculture alliance focused on progressing a resilient agri-food system. We bring together farmers, industry, government and academia to co-create and accelerate solutions toward a sustainable, profitable and productive agri-food future. Our founders include:  BCG, Loblaw Companies Limited, Maple Leaf Foods, McCain, Nutrien, and RBC.  Additional partners include: Agropur, Arrell Food Institute, Co-operators, GVF group of companies, Metro, Nature United, Nutrien, Smart Prosperity Institute, and TELUS Agriculture & Consumer Goods.  The Million Acre Challenge is a key program that supports CANZA's long-term goal of scaling climate-smart agriculture across 14% of Canada's farmlands (1 out of every 6 acres) by 2050.

SOURCE Canadian Alliance for Net-Zero Agri-food (CANZA)

For more information or to schedule interviews with CANZA's leadership team or Million Acre Challenge farming partners and participants, please contact: Jessie Sitnick, [email protected], [phone]