Soil & Climate Initiative and IPM Institute Partner to Advance Sustainable Agriculture Through Integrated Pest Management and Regenerative Practices
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MADISON, WI — September 18, 2025 — Soil & Climate Initiative (SCI) and IPM Institute of North America, Inc. are proud to announce a new partnership to advance sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices that foster healthy agroecosystems and support farm profitability and long-term resilience. This new collaboration reflects both organizations’ dedication to advancing stewardship and strengthening the agriculture system.
By joining forces, SCI and IPM Institute are opening the door to new opportunities that will strengthen support for farmers while integrating efforts to mitigate pesticide risk and improve soil health, biodiversity, water quality, and climate resilience. Through information exchange, thought leadership, and cooperative engagement, the organizations’ aligned efforts will generate new value for farmers and supply chain partners.
“This collaboration is the natural next step in our shared commitment to regenerative agriculture,” said Adam Kotin, Managing Director of SCI. “Our partnership with IPM Institute positions us to better support growers in implementing feasible, meaningful improvements, regardless of where they are in their regenerative journey.”
Previously, SCI and IPM Institute collaborated to develop the framework for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) planning and pesticide use and risk reduction in SCI’s Soil & Climate Health Commitment & Verification Standard. The standard provides farmers and supply chains with a science-based, third-party verified framework to enhance soil health, improve farm resilience, and demonstrate measurable sustainability outcomes that foster trust and create market opportunities.
The measurement approach SCI and IPM Institute developed for pesticide intensity calculations represents a significant advancement in agricultural sustainability standards. Unlike most certification programs that use binary restrictions, their system tracks active ingredients by EPA signal word categories—creating nuanced reduction pathways that acknowledge the realities of transitioning farms while maintaining rigorous environmental protection. This data-driven methodology enables producers to demonstrate measurable progress in synthetic input reduction, providing supply chain partners with transparent metrics that support both regenerative goals and practical farm management decisions.
Christopher Stevenson, Executive Director, IPM Institute, added, “We’re thrilled to partner with SCI to bring IPM and regenerative agriculture together at scale. Synthetic input reduction is a key pillar of regenerative systems that is often left out of the conversation. With this partnership, we’re equipped to integrate regenerative and IPM approaches in our work with food companies and supply chains to deliver synthetic input reduction, greater benefits for soil health, water quality, biodiversity and human health, while improving the farm's bottom line. Our collaboration seeks to improves the resilience of our food system.”
This alliance marks a milestone in the missions of SCI and IPM Institute, combining their expertise to expand reach and deliver tangible value across the food supply chain. Farmers, food companies, and stakeholders are invited to join the effort to advance practices that protect ecosystems and create a more resilient, sustainable future for agriculture.
To learn more about SCI and IPM Institute visit soilclimateinitiative.org and ipminstitute.org. To explore opportunities for how your company can lead the way towards a more resilient food system that integrates IPM and regenerative practices, reach out to info@ipminstitute.org, or info@soilclimateinitiative.org
ABOUT
Soil & Climate Initiative (SCI) is a not-for-profit, farmer-first regenerative agriculture transition program with options for third-party verification. SCI empowers farmers, suppliers, food and fashion brands, investors, and landowners to scale regenerative agriculture management and maximize soil health outcomes, biodiversity, carbon storage, water quality, climate resiliency and farm economics. www.soilclimateinitiative.org
IPM Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving sustainability in agriculture and communities. Through collaborative partnerships and science-based strategies, IPM Institute advances practices that reduce risks to human health and the environment while supporting biodiversity, climate resilience, water quality, and soil health. The Institute’s work spans integrated pest management, sustainable and regenerative agriculture and other key sustainability challenges across the food system.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Soil & Climate Initiative
Max Karlin
703-276-3255
mkarlin@hastingsgroupmedia.com
IPM Institute
Christopher Stevenson
608-274-5090
CStevenson@ipminstitute.org