Target has announced a new partnership with North Alabama’s historic Bridgeforth Farms, as part of an effort to make its supply base more inclusive and sustainable.

The Bridgeforth family began farming after freedman George Bridgeforth Sr. acquired land in Limestone County immediately after the Civil War.

Five generations later, the Bridgeforth family has not only survived in the rough farming industry, persevering against racism and natural disasters, but it has outright thrived. Bridgeforth Farms now encompasses more than ten thousand acres of land, expanding from Limestone County and the counties of Lawrence, Morgan, and Madison as well.

While Bridgeforth Farms has maintained its deep roots with the land, history, and people of North Alabama, it has also been an innovator in adopting the latest technology to ensure that its operations are on the cutting edge of efficiency.

Courtesy of Bridgeforth Farms

Sophisticated analytics compile historical and meteorological data that, combined with “drip irrigation” systems, are used to prevent overwatering of the farm’s crops and make the most of every drop of water.

The end result is an eighty-percent reduction in water used compared to conventional irrigation. Other practices at Bridgeforth Farms include no-till farming and the planting of “cover crops,” which improve the quality of the soil and prevent erosion.

All of these techniques have increased yields, giving more crops for fewer resources, all while ensuring that the land will be productive long into the future.

The combination of historic roots and futuristic technique made Bridgeforth Farms a natural partner for Target’s “Target Forward” initiative, which seeks to turn the company’s sustainability commitments into tangible products.

One of those tangible products is the “Black History Month” line of exclusive shirts, made with cotton grown sustainably on Bridgeforth Farms, a process cheerfully described as “Dirt to Shirt.”

As only 1.5% of farms in the US are black-owned, the visibility of such a high-profile partnership between Bridgeforth Farms and Target can do much to open possibilities to a more inclusive and sustainable agricultural future.

“I feel like we’re doing some great work. Not just for our community, but the country as a whole,” said fifth-generation farmer Kyle Bridgeforth. “I think it’s a vital industry.”