For farmers Chuck Baresich and Larry Dyck, the path to soil health isn’t new — it’s a lifelong commitment built from observation, experimentation, and persistence. Through collaborations between the Ontario Soil Network (OSN) and PepsiCo, they’re making practical changes in field management, building resilience, reducing risk, and helping protect productivity for the next generation.

PepsiCo is investing in a whole spread of verified environmental outcomes from OSN farmers — improvements in soil health, water quality, emissions reductions, sequestration, and biodiversity.

What sets this collaboration apart is that it was built from the ground up. PepsiCo brings the market infrastructure, and OSN’s team and farmers designed the model — shaping the measurement system, identifying which outcomes matter, and building the continuous-improvement process that is driving change across Ontario.

Chuck Baresich — Lambton County

Chuck Baresich, who farms alongside his family in southeast Lambton County, says the shift toward soil stewardship began long before programs like this existed.

“We can’t keep watching our farms wash away and blow away. We have to do better.” — Chuck Baresich

Baresich farms with his brother Justin and father Charlie, growing corn, soybeans, wheat, and cereal rye. Much of the land has been in a no-till system since the 1990s — a decision shaped by what he witnessed as a child. Today, his system integrates precision traffic management, multi-species cover crops, and the 4R principles of nutrient stewardship.

“The whole point of cover crops is to introduce a different biology into the root zone. That diversity is what makes the system work.” — Chuck Baresich

Baresich says the program reinforces what farmers like him have been seeing for years.

“Others see the value in what we are doing. The soil is more forgiving now, and that matters.” — Chuck Baresich

For him, seeing major buyers recognize regenerative systems signals a broader shift across agriculture.

“It reinforces that this is where the market is going. It shows us the direction the market is moving.” — Chuck Baresich

A growing market demand

For OSN farmers, this is the beginning of a growing market demand for commodities that are grown with resilient practices in play. In Ontario, PepsiCo is among the early companies with dollars on the ground valuing soil stewardship, with more expected to follow. The OSN is guiding several supply chain investments in the system-wide change needed to strengthen and scale farmer-led progress, and to make regenerative outcomes visible, and valued, across the supply chain.

Larry Dyck — Niagara

In Niagara, Larry Dyck has made similar progress through a long-view approach on the land his family has stewarded since 1951. Farming between St. Catharines and Grimsby, he has spent decades experimenting with ways to replace tillage with living roots and biological processes.

“I want my cover crop roots to do what we used to do with tillage — but without the tillage.” — Larry Dyck

He first experimented with no-till in the 1980s, but it wasn’t until 2015, after hearing a speaker describe how cover crops could replace tillage, that his current regenerative system took shape. His family’s operation, Campden Grain, grows corn, soybeans, sunflowers, and wheat — and has eliminated tillage entirely except when converting former orchards.

“One of the realities is that you only get to try new things once a year. You have to take a longer-term view.” — Larry Dyck

Dyck’s 12-species cover crop blends and zero-tillage system have improved soil structure and lowered input costs. Some fields now yield 80 to 90 bushels of corn with zero applied nitrogen.

Larry sees PepsiCo’s Regenerative Agriculture efforts as part of a larger market transformation — one where sustainability and profitability now go hand in hand.

Program results to date

In the collaboration pilots, PepsiCo Canada’s regenerative sourcing efforts in Ontario, part of a broader focus on expanding regenerative agriculture, have included 20 farmers across nine counties, representing more than 10,000 acres of corn managed under practices such as cover cropping, nutrient efficiency, crop rotation, reduced tillage, and biodiversity-enhancing approaches.

The pilots have also demonstrated improved water-quality outcomes, with participating farmers reaching 49% cover-crop adoption over the baseline, a key driver of reduced runoff and nutrient loss.

This approach reflects PepsiCo’s view that scaling regenerative practices and supporting soil stewardship on farms helps build a more resilient supply chain capable of delivering strong, reliable crops over the long term.

The economics of regenerative systems

Farmers adopting these systems are accessing new revenue streams through supply-chain partnerships and measurable outcomes that reward soil health. Research from the Greenbelt Foundation’s Business Case for Soil Health shows that even without this added revenue, if even 10% of Ontario’s farmland adopted a core set of soil-health practices, the long-term net benefit to Ontario farmers could exceed $14.6 million per year — driven by lower input costs, more stable yields, and improved nutrient efficiency.

For many farmers, that’s becoming the point: the profitability of regenerative systems increasingly comes from lower costs, reduced risk, and emerging markets that reward soil stewardship, not just from maximizing yield.

A new mindset

Both farmers emphasize that regenerative agriculture is not just about new tools — it’s about a new mindset.

“The biggest issue isn’t the soil, it’s the space between our ears.” — Larry Dyck

For PepsiCo Canada, these stories highlight the value of collaboration and long-term investment in on-farm innovation. By working with farmers who are already leading the way, the company aims to strengthen the resilience of its supply chain and the global food system.

Both farmers say the work is far from over, but the results speak for themselves.

“We’re still here, and we’re making it work. One cost that has no replacement is soil loss.” — Larry Dyck

The role of farmer networks

For OSN, stories like these demonstrate why farmer networks matter. When growers learn from one another, compare results, and push their systems forward together, change moves faster than any top-down program can deliver. OSN’s role is to make that momentum visible — and connect it to supply-chain partners who are ready to value it.

The OSN continues to connect and celebrate farmers who are improving their land through collaboration, curiosity, and continuous learning.

To learn more about how Ontario farmers are leading the way in soil stewardship and regenerative practices, visit www.ontariosoil.net