Leadership Cohort

Shape the future of regenerative agriculture

The MRCC Regenerative Agriculture Leadership Cohort is an exclusive, two-year program designed to equip emerging industry leaders with the skills, network, and strategic insights needed to scale regenerative agriculture. Participants will collaborate with peers across the food, feed, fuel, and fiber industries, learning from real-world case studies, industry mentors, and hands-on project development.

This cohort provides a structured environment for professionals to deepen their expertise, align sustainability strategies with business goals, and engage in cross-sector collaboration to drive impact in the Mississippi River Basin and beyond. Contact Jaycie Thomsen to discuss securing one of the limited seats in the Leadership Cohort.

Program outcomes

Year 1: Participants will apply learning series concepts to an existing project and explore partnership opportunities.
Year 2: Participants will develop a new project concept to fill a gap in their organization’s regenerative agriculture portfolio.
Cohort guidebook: The program will include an exclusive guidebook outlining best practices, cohort learnings, and impact metrics.

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Benefits

Leadership and strategy development: Internal capacity building for sustainability, sourcing, and strategy teams.

Cross-sector collaboration: Hands-on support for project design and co-investment opportunities.

Applied learning: Gain hands-on experience by working on real regenerative agriculture initiatives with mentorship from leading companies and NGOs. Tailored curriculum aligned with your goals and projects.

Regenerative agriculture best practices: Actionable insights into supply chain risk assessment, financing strategies, sustainability frameworks, and farmer engagement.

Exclusive networking: A small trusted, pre-competitive space to build partnerships with top NGOs and peer companies.

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Details

Financial

MRCC members: Included in membership dues.
Non-members: One-time payment, $10,000 per organization.
An organization will designate one primary liaison who participates in each workshop. There may be topical opportunities to include other members of an organization.
Participants are responsible for covering the cost of travel and lodging for in-person convenings. Meals will be covered.

Time

Phase I: Foundations
- Oct. 14–16, 2025: Minneapolis, three days
- Feb. 9–10, 2026: Virtual, two 120-minute sessions
- May 11–12, 2026: Chicago, two days
- July 28–30, 2026: Ames, Iowa, three days
- Oct. 20–21, 2026: Virtual, two 120-minute sessions
Phase 2: Implementation
- Jan. 2027: Minneapolis, two days
- Feb.–Aug. 2027: Virtual, ad-hoc as needed
- Sept. 2027: Minneapolis, two days
1:1 introductory meeting with the program administrator to align program goals with corporate priorities.

More information

Audience – corporations touching the agri-value chain with:

Regenerative agriculture and/or climate goals.
Interest in building or scaling supply chain projects.
Need for stronger internal alignment, external partnerships, and/or business case to support regenerative agriculture investment.

Fit – corporations are a strong fit if they have:

Regenerative agriculture pilots or supply chain programs in place.
Some internal buy-in for sustainability but need help with execution or partnership development.
Willingness to collaborate pre-competitively.
Capacity to send 1–4 staff to participate, including one core representative.