Celebrating Our Shared Impact

This past year, the idea that “change is the only constant” was as true as ever. The global population settled firmly into the “8 billion plus” range, while the effects of climate change revealed themselves in new ways around the globe. Closer to home, many farmers faced flooding and drought in the same growing season, while supply chains settled into a new post-Covid norm.  

As we turn the page on 2024, we do so with the conviction that systemic challenges facing food and agriculture make MBOLD’s approach to pre-competitive collaboration, risk-taking, and collective impact even more critical.

We are grateful to be on this journey with a growing array of partners, fellow thought-leaders and action-takers. In 2024, through collaboration, we made progress tackling big challenges on a range of fronts.

MBOLD also welcomed some new faces to our executive council: Jase Wagner, CEO of Compeer Financial, stepped up as our new Chair, while Brian Schiegg, Schwan’s new CEO, and Gonzalo Petschen, Cargill’s Group President for Food, North America, joined the council. We are thrilled to have these outstanding leaders at the MBOLD table.

Driving innovation in protein sustainability  

Protein is a critical part of the human diet, but one with significant environmental impacts, particularly as global demand grows. Last year, we began positioning our region as a hub of global leadership in making proteins more sustainable, building from our long history as a major player in the production of meat, dairy and feed crops.

Protein experts from within and outside MBOLD’s membership are identifying pathways to heighten the market success of plant-based foods, and we’re exploring how alternative crops can improve the environmental footprint of animal feed while building new markets for farmers. We are helping small protein-innovation businesses scale up, and we’re bringing global protein leaders to Minnesota to chart the future of innovation through international conferences like Bridge2Food North America. As we move into 2025, we look forward to expanding the circle of players driving this innovation together.  

Gaining traction on soil health and water stewardship  

Last year, our farm partners in the Red River Valley continued to deepen their adoption of soil health practices, demonstrating how reduced tillage, enhanced nutrient management and other practices can build their soil and benefit farm economies.    

The cover crop winter camelina also continues to gain traction. 2024’s harvest was used to make sustainable aviation fuel and will supply feeding trials in 2025 to evaluate camelina’s potential as feed for broiler chickens. With each year of pilot production, we are learning more about what it takes to grow this crop effectively and bring it to market. Along with our partners at U of M Forever Green, we look forward to sharing our insights with you early in 2025.  

Helping start-ups scale  

MBOLD also invested in the success of growing businesses, pivoting our Bold Growth mentorship program to focus on companies that drive innovation in protein markets. Last year, Target, Schwan’s Co., General Mills, United Health Group and McKinsey & Co mentored two exciting Minnesota companies: Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed beef and Clo Clo Vegan Foods.  

In collaboration with our members the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute and Naturally Minnesota, we also took Bold Growth global, opening the program to protein-innovation companies around the world that want to expand into the U.S. market. We recently selected two Canadian start-ups to participate in Bold Growth-International in 2025. Stay tuned for an announcement about that soon.    

Plastics recycling  

On the circular economy front, we celebrated the acquisition of the Rogers, Minn., film-recycling plant by GDB International. GDB brings deep expertise in recycling challenging materials, like pallet wrap and shrink wrap, as well as many other materials. The Rogers recycling facility is now up and running, providing unprecedented recycling opportunities for flexible film in the Upper Midwest and building a new sector of our economy.  

There is no shortage of challenges facing food and agriculture as our industry works to sustainably feed a growing population. That said, the strides MBOLD made in 2024 are further proof that cross-sector collaboration—across the value chain—is a powerful lever for innovation. Thank you for joining with us to show the world what we can do when we work and lead together.  

Jase Wagner, CEO Compeer Financial and MBOLD Chair

JoAnne Berkenkamp, MBOLD Managing Director

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