Nourishing the Future

Every grain grows from a single seed. With the right conditions and care, each seed takes root before its shoot rises from the soil, reaching for sunlight, water, and the chance to grow.

At Cargill, our roots run deep. For 159 years, our company has grown with purpose to meet the evolving needs of a hungry world. Today, from our unique position at the center of the food system, the conditions are right to reach for urgently needed solutions that will nourish the future.

And the future isn’t far off. As we race to feed a fast-growing population, our first horizon is 2030.

By then the world will gain 500 million people — roughly the current population of North America. To feed them, the food system has to produce another 45 to 50 million metric tons of agricultural commodities per year. And we need to do it with less land and water, in a world increasingly challenged by climate change.

 

Agriculture is the solution 

Our industry has never faced a challenge of this magnitude. But in the coming years, agriculture can and must make transformational changes to sustainably feed our immediate future and the generations that follow. Cargill is proud to help make that change happen, bringing the power of our people, partnerships, and innovation to reimagine what’s possible in food and agriculture.

Make no mistake: the challenges facing the food system are many and they’re complex. Markets and supply chains have been disrupted by conflict, changing demographics, and volatile economic and environmental conditions. But when it comes to nourishing the world, no challenge is beyond our reach if we work together. That’s why Cargill is working with partners across the value chain to make agriculture part of the solution.

 

Farming for the future

Our efforts begin with the people who grow the food the world depends on — because the success of farmers and food producers is foundational in our work to feed the future. To enable their success, Cargill is making investments to improve farmers’ livelihoods while sustainably meeting the world’s growing demand for food.

As farmers navigate the urgency of climate change, Cargill is helping them implement solutions. This year we advanced our efforts to support farmers as they adopt practices that enhance soil health and water quality, sequester carbon, and improve farm productivity. To date, our Cargill RegenConnect™ program has engaged farmers in 24 U.S. states (and six countries in Europe) as we work to reach 10 million acres of North American farmland with regenerative agriculture by the end of this decade — an area roughly the size of Switzerland.

For generations, producers on nearly every continent have counted on Cargill for access to markets. We take that responsibility seriously. So, to enhance our value to farmers, Cargill is expanding our capacity to store, process, and move their crops, including our acquisition this year of soy storage and crush facilities in South America previously owned by Granol. We’ll keep investing in our supply chains to help ensure a food-secure future, connecting farmers to markets and customers to the supply they need to feed and fuel the world.

 

Leading from the frontlines

None of the innovative work we’re doing to strengthen the food system would be possible without the hardworking people who power our supply chains. The critical efforts of frontline workers in our ports, plants, and global operations puts food on plates and brings daily essentials to people around the world. That’s why Cargill is making major, sustained investments in the training, technology, and operations improvements they need to capture the opportunities in front of us.

A lot has changed on Cargill’s factory floors since I started working in one of our beef plants 33 years ago. Over the decades, we’ve captured dramatic gains in productivity. This year, we built on that momentum with our Factory of the Future initiative. By expanding automation, digital tools, and advanced analytics, we’re empowering our teams to further increase efficiency, prevent injuries, and serve our customers even better.

For example, a frontline worker in one of our plants used to manually stack up to 45,000 pounds of eggs during the course of their shift. Now, with help from automated machinery, they can do it safer and faster. Improvements like this are critical as we meet rising demand for food while prioritizing the safety and fulfillment of our teams.

 

Putting people first 

Prioritizing the safety and well-being of people has always been a core value at Cargill. More than that, it’s a key element of our value proposition: as we care for our people, they in turn take care of our customers — dependably meeting their needs, helping them navigate a volatile marketplace, and enabling shared growth.

The marketplace our people navigated this year was extremely challenging. With their hard work and our customers’ trust and partnership, Cargill recorded $160 billion in revenues in fiscal year 2024. As we look to the future, our teams are sharply focused on achieving greater efficiency and profitability across our businesses while driving growth and greater value for our customers and communities around the world.

Cargill is committed to making a positive impact, globally and locally, because our future is only as strong as the communities where our people live and work. That’s why we contributed $130 million in fiscal year 2024 to enable a more resilient food system while addressing our communities’ most pressing challenges, including food security, environmental sustainability, equity and inclusion, and emergency relief for people in need.

There’s no question the future will present still more, complex challenges. But with the right people, partnerships, and innovation, Cargill sees a future full of possibility. Working together, agriculture is how we’ll connect everyone to the food they need and leave a more resilient planet for the next generation. We’re grateful for your partnership as we tackle this urgent work and plant the seeds that will nourish the future.