In the world of commercial produce, “regenerative” has become the industry’s newest North Star, but for the farmers on the ground, the path to that star often looks like a financial cliff. On Jan. 22, the Rodale Institute signaled a major shift in how it plans to bridge this gap by appointing Matthew Grand as its chief strategy officer.
Grand isn’t a traditional agronomist; he is a veteran of the high-finance world with 17 years at Goldman Sachs and a background as a certified public accountant. His mission is to turn a radical scientific ideal into a global economic reality.
As chief strategy officer, Grand will advise the CEO and chief financial officer on best practices in budgeting and financial processes; develop long-term business and financial models to support decision-making; lead business and financial planning across programs; support development strategies, including capital campaigns; and help cultivate partnerships and innovative funding models.
“I am honored to return to Rodale Institute at a critical moment for regenerative organic agriculture,” Grand says. “The institute’s legacy demonstrates what’s possible when science, soil and society work together, and I look forward to supporting its continued growth, influence and impact.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Matt to the team, whose deep expertise at the intersection of finance and sustainability will help propel Rodale Institute’s vision for a healthier planet and more resilient food systems,” says Rodale Institute CEO Jeff Tkach. “His passion, coupled with expertise in aligning capital with mission and innovation, will be instrumental as the Institute expands our reach and amplifies our impact in the years ahead.”
The Packer connected with Tkach and Grand to discuss how Rodale Institute is bridging the gap between soil science and global finance to scale the regenerative organic movement.
The Packer: With the USDA recently launching a $1 billion pilot program for regenerative practices, the term “regenerative” is entering the federal lexicon without a legal definition. How is Rodale working to ensure that federal policy rewards outcomes (like carbon sequestration and soil health) rather than just a checklist of practices that might not actually restore the land?
Jeff Tkach: This moment reflects a growing federal recognition that healthy soil is foundational to a secure food system, climate resilience and human health. Rodale Institute, along with our partners at the Regenerative Organic Alliance, believes that changing practices on farms is more important than outcomes-based measurement. Outcomes-based standards can easily be manipulated.
Regenerative Organic Certified is a practice-based certification, because it levels the playing field for farmers and creates the greatest level of trust and transparency for consumers. The ROA standard rewards farmers economically based on their farming practices, which is ultimately what matters most to the viability of a healthier food system. If a farmer can’t make a living from what they produce and has to rely on carbon credits, what does that say about agriculture as an industry?
Coming from a Wall Street background, you understand risk better than most. Currently, the three-year transition period to regenerative organic is a “financial valley of death” for many farmers. What specific market mechanisms — be it new insurance models, supply chain premiums or private equity — are you building to ensure the financial burden of this transition doesn’t rest solely on the farmer’s shoulders?
Matt Grand: I’ve learned over the course of my career that the term “risk” has several different meanings and applications unique to each individual. And as you alluded to in your question, there’s certainly a liquidity gap for farmers who invest their time, energy and resources to go through the three-year transition process. We at Rodale Institute actually view the transition not as a cost but as a de-risking mechanism for the entire food system. An organic certification is an asset for farmers, and the data proves that out in terms of accretive economics. You’re replacing business models that are historically dependent on volatile pricing, that rely on expensive and synthetic inputs, which result in degraded soil and ultimately lower land values.
To move our mission further, we do need to shift the financial burden of transition away from the growers and more toward institutional lenders who can properly underwrite the risks of regenerative organic agriculture. Fortunately, we have seen the emergence of many platforms who are providing farmers with more access to capital across the lending spectrum. And yet the demand for capital still significantly outweighs the available supply.
At Rodale Institute, we work with many of these platforms in various capacities, including on-farm technical assistance, proving that regenerative organic models make economic sense for all stakeholders, including farmers, consumers and the planet. We know it works; regenerative practices lower default risk over time. And we will continue to help support this broadening ecosystem through our pioneering work.
As “regenerative” becomes the new “sustainability” for major CPG brands, there is a fear among the legacy organic community that rigor will be sacrificed for scale. How does Rodale’s strategy balance the need for mass-market adoption with the uncompromising standards of the Regenerative Organic Certified seal?
Tkach: Approximately 68 of the world’s top 100 food companies now purport to have a regenerative strategy within their supply chain. There’s a lot of disparity about what that means. Robert Rodale defined regeneration this way: “A method of producing ideas and products that systematically makes more efficient use of all available inputs and resources and that continually improves both the resource base and the people involved in that process.”
The way Rodale Institute sees regeneration is that it cannot be extractive; it has to make systems better. That’s why we believe in standards like Regenerative Organic Certified. It’s a standard that actually defines what regenerative means. It’s about moving away from extraction and getting toxic chemicals out of our food system altogether. We want to caution the food industry not to greenwash this word. Standards are really important so that we are all singing from the same song sheet about what regeneration really means. Standards help to eliminate greenwashing and create higher levels of integrity and trust with consumers.
