Marketing & Communications Organizational Governance

For Lundberg Family Farms, ‘Every Ducking Day Is Earth Day’

New ad campaign pokes fun at celebrating taking care of the planet only once a year.

Published 1 year ago | About a 2 minute read

As an 85-year-old rice brand, Lundberg Family Farms works in partnership with nature 365 days a year. In addition to growing cover crops, using water (instead of herbicides) to manage weeds, and many other regenerative-organic rice-farming practices, Lundberg saves baby ducks.

Each winter, Lundberg floods a portion of its fields to replicate California’s once-abundant wetlands, providing food and habitat for wintering waterfowl. Lundberg also grows cover crops — which help sequester carbon, restore nutrients to the soil, and provide nesting habitat for ducks. So, when the company began finding duck nests on its properties, it partnered with organizations such as California Waterfowl — with which the brand estimates it has rescued over 30,000 ducklings.

So, today, the brand launched a new creative campaign, Ducking Good, as a celebration of Lundberg’s feathered friends and a reminder that Earth Day isn’t just once a year, but “every ducking day.”

The 'ducking' New York Times ad | Image credit: Lundberg Family Farms

There’s much more to regenerative-organic farming than producing food without herbicides — and Lundberg wants to help educate the public about the practices involved and how it involves supporting entire ecosystems, as Lundberg does in and around its rice fields.

"We considered highlighting all the socially minded ways we farm and how much care goes into our rice, but that was an incredibly long list!” said Suzanne Sengelmann, Chief Growth Officer at Lundberg Family Farms. “Our Ducking Good campaign is a lighthearted way to share our commitment to regenerative organic, which we know can be overwhelming to folks who haven’t been introduced to these critical farming practices and may not realize they require a year-round commitment to caring for the planet.”

More and more food and beverage brands — including most recently, Bonterra Organic Estates, KIND Snacks and PepsiCo — are making big commitments to scaling regenerative-ag practices across their supply chains. Lundberg’s Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) White Basmati rice — the first US-grown ROC rice — hits Whole Foods shelves across the country this month. The company’s regenerative-organic farming practices fall into three pillars of commitment:

Healing the soil: Lundberg minimizes soil disturbance, uses water to manage weeds, and grows cover crops during the winter.
Providing wildlife habitat: Lundberg’s farms are part of an elaborate ecosystem and the brand is committed to working in partnership with nature.
Caring for the community: As third- and fourth-generation farmers, the Lundberg family knows firsthand how much heart and hard work go into growing good food; so the company treats farmers like family.

The Ducking Good campaign launches today with a full-page ad in The New York Times and additional regional takeovers in Minneapolis, Bentonville, and Cincinnati.