Jason Weller is the Global Chief Sustainability Officer for JBS – one of the world’s largest producers of protein-based foods. In his role, Jason leads a team charged with the company’s overall sustainability strategy, including some of the most critical issues at the heart of feeding millions around the world: regenerative agriculture, responsible supply chains, environmental innovation and partnerships – all with the goal of putting farmers and ranchers at the center of food ecosystems.

Under Jason and his team, developing sustainable, innovative food policy and climate impact in agriculture, with a focus on proteins, land use, and creative solutions to animal cultivation, is a significant and tangible pillar of the company’s growth and outlook, JBS is a leader in the food industry in setting ambitious targets for climate goals. Programs such as the 20 technical field “Green Offices” for farmers and ranchers that the company has established in the Amazon and Cerrado Biomes are not only helping combat deforestation, but are building capacity at the local level with farmers and ranchers.

Prior to joining JBS, Jason served as President at Truterra, the sustainability business of Land O’Lakes – one of the largest farmer-owned cooperatives in the U.S. At Truterra, Jason led the company’s efforts to help farmers improve their data collection, reporting and traceability resulting in developing carbon credits and other ecosystem service credits, identifying markets for carbon sequestration practices, and enabled consumer packaged goods companies to address Scope 3 emissions. He also led initiatives to support better agricultural practices and innovation through grassroots public-private partnerships.

Jason also spent four years as Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he oversaw a multimillion-dollar budget focused on programs to preserve and create healthy ecosystems on U.S. lands, including soil conservation, animal and land preservation, improved data collection and analysis for better water and soil health, and partnerships in support of farmers and sustainable agriculture. As one example, during Jason’s tenure, NRCS partnered with the U.S. Department of the Interior to significantly repair and upgrade the Pueblo tribal reservation’s irrigation systems in New Mexico, which not only accelerated irrigation but also expanded production while saving water in a particularly drought-prone area of the U.S. He also worked in the U.S. House of Representatives as a staff member on the Appropriations and Budget committees, as well as a senior program examiner at the Office of Management and Budget, responsible for ensuring fiscal accountability with federal funds. Jason started his professional career working on a ranch as a cowboy in Minnesota, where he saw firsthand the importance of putting farmers and ranchers at the center of sustainable agriculture, the need to center agricultural and environmental policies around farmers’ perspectives, and the impact of land health on food supply and ecosystems.

Jason holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Carleton College and a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Michigan. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Soil Health Institute as well as the Board of Directors for the Soil and Water Conservation Society – organizations dedicated to better and more sustainable environmental practices.