ADM and FBN create joint venture to expand sustainable agricultural practices platform

Farmers Business Network (FBN) and Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) announced the creation of Gradable, a joint venture that aims to expand technology for tracking sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices. The new company seeks to make it easier for farmers and buyers to obtain value from grain production with more sustainable agricultural practices.

The Gradable platform, launched in 2020, is already relevant in the North American market, with more than 20 farmers using its services in an area of ​​more than 12 million acres. The technology enables detailed tracking of sustainable agricultural practices, helping farmers reap financial rewards. For grain buyers, the platform provides reliable farm-level data, enabling them to identify and purchase grains that meet the growing demand for sustainable products.

With partners including ADM, POET and Attebury Grain, LLC, Gradable has scored more than 200 million bushels of corn and soybeans and analyzed 48 million acre-years of agronomic events. The platform facilitates more than $30 million in financial incentives for sustainable practices annually. Now, with the 50-50 joint venture, Gradable aims to expand its operations, reaching new partners and customers at every stage of the grain supply chain.

Gradable's newly appointed CEO, Steele Lorenz, highlighted the rapid growth of the platform, which is positioned as one of the leading technologies for large-scale sustainability scoring. Lorenz invited new partners from the consumer goods and grain purchasing industries to join the platform, aiming to serve new markets and more farmers.

The demand for sustainably produced crops is growing steadily, driven by consumer preferences, corporate commitments and public policies. To meet this demand, Gradable will expand its operations across hundreds of ADM facilities across the United States and Canada, in addition to increasing the number of commercial partners and countries served. The platform also aims to help the supply chain meet global needs for more sustainable food, feed, fuels and industrial products.

Diego Casanello, CEO of FBN, expressed excitement about partnering with ADM to launch Gradable, highlighting that the companies' combined expertise will result in better insights, incentives and support for farmers to profitably adopt regenerative practices. Casanello believes that Gradable can become the industry's leading platform.

Greg Morris, president of ADM's agricultural and oilseed services business unit, noted that the company's regenerative agriculture efforts already covered more than 2,8 million acres last year, but sees this as just the beginning. Morris said the new joint venture will enable Gradable's continued expansion, paving the way for more farmers, grain trading partners and end customers to benefit from regenerative practices and growing demand for sustainable products.

The Gradable platform was developed to provide a modern digital infrastructure, strengthening the relationship between grain buyers and farmers. With the increasing need for efficient, transparent and secure grain transactions, Gradable connects the experiences of farmers and buyers on a single secure technology platform. Gradable also enables greater farmer participation in the new demand for sustainability by facilitating the collection and calculation of verifiable production data, including carbon scores, enabling them to monetize these benefits in the marketplace.