The Forever Green Initiative is stewarding the development and commercialization of 15+ continuous living cover (CLC) crops — and the Continuous Living Cover Market Builders Program provides a structure to match these innovations with new market opportunities.
Your Participation Drives Impact
Investments in CLC products support climate resilience, regenerative agriculture, water stewardship, soil health, and economic opportunity.
Why Participate in the CLC Market Builders Program?
Focus on a unique pipeline of opportunities in the regenerative agriculture and resiliency discussions: novel crops and ingredients that promote crop diversification and create transformational change.
1. Discovery Level
Discovery Level is accessible to all and focused on learning the basics of continuous living cover crops, value chains, ingredients, and market opportunities.
Discovery Level consists of a number of free engagement options plus in-person workshops and field tours for a small fee:
Who Should Participate in This Program?
The CLC Market Builders Program is designed to have cross-functional value:
Participants are welcome from all sections of the value chain in food, renewable fuels, feed, and cosmetics, including but not limited to:
- Retailers and CPG companies
- Animal nutrition companies and feed mills
- Ingredient companies
- Agribusinesses, input, and crop consultant companies
- Biofuel companies
Typical members have an existing sustainability goal and are looking to stay up to date on the latest opportunities. Companies with supply sheds in the Upper Midwest will find the greatest relevance.
What Might a Proprietary Project Look Like?
Sponsors Circle collaborative projects are designed to lead to new products or on-farm production pilots within one to three years. They can take many forms but typically involve an investment of $50,000 and up.
Vet and assess the use cases for new ingredients, feedstocks, or co-products.
- Example: Proprietary food ingredient functionality research with the UMN Food Science and Nutrition Department. Where applicable, pathways for IP licensing are available.
Gain essential proof of concept for CLC ingredients, feedstocks, and inputs.
- Example: Two companies partner with Forever Green on a pilot processing run of a new oil for cosmetic applications.
Develop cross-sector partnerships to create regional supply chains for CLC crops that meaningfully improve environmental or social sustainability metrics in a given area.
Example: Two companies co-invest in an initiative to signal demand for 10,000 acres of hybrid winter rye in a region where water quality is impaired. Forever Green and the company integrate with existing cross-sector partners in the area to support success.
About the University of Minnesota Forever Green Initiative
Forever Green was founded to develop powerful solutions to grand challenges in Upper Midwest agriculture. We envision a landscape of diversified, profitable continuous living cover systems that meet society’s needs while improving rural livelihoods and environmental outcomes:
