McDonald’s announces conservation, regenerative agriculture partnership with National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

McDonald’s, NFWF, and partners to invest more than $200 million to promote and accelerate voluntary wildlife conservation efforts, regenerative agriculture practices.

In a landmark moment for U.S. conservation efforts, McDonald’s USA has announced a partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to support wildlife conservation, voluntary conservation efforts, and regenerative agriculture practices by U.S. cattle ranchers across 4 million acres.

The creation of the Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative marks the first collaboration between McDonald’s, one of the world’s leading food service brands, and NFWF, the nation’s largest conservation foundation. This new initiative aims to enhance wildlife habitat, conserve water resources and improve soil health while strengthening the resilience of the U.S. beef supply chain and providing economic benefits to participating ranchers.

McDonald’s USA, several key McDonald’s U.S. suppliers, NFWF, and the Foundation’s partners in the public and private sectors will collectively invest more than $200 million over the next seven years to help promote and accelerate voluntary wildlife conservation efforts. Key strategies include working with willing ranchers to improve grazing management, restoring grassland habitat, and conserving water resources crucial to both wildlife and ranching operations.

McDonald’s USA suppliers participating in the initiative include Cargill, OSI, Lopez Foods, Golden State Foods, and The Coca-Cola Company. NFWF will leverage funding support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and other sources, as well as matching contributions from grantees.

Building off current ranch-level best practices, this initiative aims to provide new pathways and resources to help accelerate regenerative grazing for ranchers, like those suppliers in McDonald’s U.S. supply chain.

“The benefits of grassland conservation are far-reaching,” said Jeff Trandahl, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer at NFWF. “When cattle are managed to optimize multiple ecological and economic values, the land holds more water, grows better grass, and supports more wildlife. Conservation practices voluntarily adopted by ranchers can improve the productivity of grasslands, increase ranching profitability, and strengthen the vitality of rural communities across the United States.”

As part of this initiative, NFWF will manage and invest conservation funding to advance ranchers in their voluntary conservation efforts. NFWF is collaborating with its conservation partners across America’s grasslands to identify impactful landscape-scale projects that will generate the greatest possible benefits to both wildlife populations and the productivity of vital U.S. ranch lands.

The first round of competitive grant-making will culminate in the announcement of awards, expected in January 2026.

On behalf of McDonald’s USA, Kateri and Carbon Yield will provide independent monitoring and quantification of any improvements to soil health.

For additional information about the Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative, visit NFWF.org.

Organic & Non-GMO Insights October 2025