Anheuser-Busch commits $530k to universities for sustainable agriculture

The Anheuser-Busch Foundation has committed $530,000 to support model farms at four US land grant universities, as it aims to advance sustainable agricultural practices.

University of Idaho, North Dakota State University, Montana State University and University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will all receive funding from the brewer’s charitable foundation.

The universities are creating model farms to research areas including soil health, irrigation efficiency and other regenerative practices. The donations will focus on:

• University of Idaho – $200,000 will go to the Sustainable Water and Soil Health Demonstration Farm, part of a university-led effort to build the nation’s largest research dairy farm. Research will focus on cover crops and rotations, as well as livestock integration, at multiple sites including Anheuser-Busch-owned locations.
• North Dakota State University – The North Dakota Barley Council, in partnership with the university, will receive a $150,000 contribution to their Soil Health and Agriculture Research and Extension (SHARE) Farm projects. With the aim of improving soil health and production sustainability, research will focus on the suitability and impact of cover crops following barley in local rotations.
• Montana State University – As part of an ongoing commitment, Anheuser-Busch will donate $50,000 to advance research on the amount of water and energy saved using Low Energy Spray Application (LESA) pivots on barley, while maintaining yield and quality.
• University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture – The university will receive $130,000 to establish a Discovery Farm, which will test different irrigation strategies to help improve the efficiency of rice farming.

According to Anheuser-Busch, Idaho and Montana are the top two barley producing states in the US and Arkansas is the number one producer of rice – both key ingredients in producing its beer.

The brewer says that its targeted support of programmes in these regions advances its 2025 Sustainability Goals and is expected to yield improvements in practice and knowledge that will benefit farmers around the country.

“The work of land grant universities is critical as we collectively look for ways to make farming more sustainable and profitable,” said Bill Bradley, vice president of community affairs at Anheuser-Busch.  

“The Anheuser-Busch Foundation is proud to work alongside these universities that are the backbone of agricultural extension support to our growers and we thank them for their longstanding efforts to help local agriculture communities thrive.”

Michael Parrella, University of Idaho College of Agricultural and Life Sciences dean, added: “This partnership with the Anheuser-Busch Foundation will strengthen the assessment and demonstration of regenerative agricultural practices in Southern Idaho and beyond.

“Learnings from this research will benefit our producers and partners around the region and we are grateful for the partnership.”