New USDA Program Funds Regenerative Conservation Practices
The group Rural Investment to Protect our Environment is applauding USDA’s decision to provide $700 million for the new Regenerative Pilot Program to help farmers improve soil health and water quality, and boost long-term productivity.
RIPE, a farmer-led organization that has been seeking more compensation for producers’ conservation activities for nearly a decade, also released a detailed analysis quantifying the public benefits from the adoption of regenerative climate-smart agricultural practices.
“RIPE is excited about USDA’s commitment to scaling regenerative agriculture,” said Trey Cooke, RIPE executive director. “The program aligns with RIPE’s approach. Our organization’s priority is to remove barriers to effective conservation practices and engage farmers from across the country in conservation.”
The program was announced jointly by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in late December.
Healthy children
In its press release, USDA said the program is building off the Make Our Children Healthy Again strategy released by HHS in September. The release said the department is also investing in research on connections between regenerative agriculture and public health.
“Protecting and improving the health of our soil is critical not only for the future viability of farmland, but to the future success of American farmers,” said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. “To continue to be the most productive and efficient growers in the world, we must protect our topsoil from unnecessary erosion and improve soil health and land stewardship.”
Congress created the Soil Conservation Service, the forerunner of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, in the 1930s to stop massive soil losses from wind and water erosion. More recently, NRCS has become involved in soil health initiatives to improve productivity and enhance carbon sequestration in soils.
The press release said the new pilot program will deliver a streamlined, outcome-based approach to conservation that empowers producers to “plan and implement whole-farm regenerative practices through a single application.
“In FY 2026, the Regenerative Pilot Program will focus on whole-farm planning that addresses every major resource — including soil, water and natural viability — under a single conservation framework,” it said. “USDA is dedicating $400 million through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and $300 million through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) to fund its first year.”
1 application for multiple issues
In the new program, producers can work on multiple regenerative ag issues with one application. The program is designed for both beginning and advanced producers, “ensuring availability for all farmers ready to take the next step in regenerative agriculture,” the release said.
NRCS is also establishing a Chief’s Regenerative Agriculture Advisory Council that will meet quarterly to advise the chief of the NRCS, review implementation progress and help guide data and reporting improvements. “Its recommendations will shape future USDA conservation delivery and strengthen coordination between public and private sectors,” the release said.
Noting there is a “growing desire among private companies to fund conservation practices,” USDA said the program will use existing authorities to create public-private partnerships within NRCS conservation programs.
“These partnerships will allow USDA to match private funding, in turn stretching taxpayer dollars further and bringing new capacity to producers interested in adopting regenerative practices,” it said.
Farmers and ranchers interested in regenerative agriculture are encouraged to apply through their county or parish NRCS Service Center. Applications for EQIP and CSP can be submitted under the new application process.
RIPE membership
RIPE was founded in 2017 but was officially incorporated as a 501(c)3 organization in 2022. Its membership includes a number of farm leaders from across the country, including William “Bill” Beam, a farmer from Pennsylvania who became administrator of USDA’s Farm Service Agency last year.
A bipartisan group, RIPE has advocated for increasing funding for farmer conservation efforts since its founding. This approach has taken on greater importance as low prices for many ag commodities and rising input costs have made farmers more hesitant to try new practices.
“Soil health practices often require producers to incur short-term costs to generate long-term benefits,” according to a recent RIPE white paper “Scaling Conservation Agriculture the RIPE Way.” “Soil health and conservation practices such as conservation tillage, cover cropping and nutrient management have the potential to provide ecosystem services for society and improve long-term producer profitability.”
Recent studies released by RIPE have also shown a wide range of climate-smart farmer conservation practices can provide up to a 9-to-1 benefit-to-cost ratio and a seventeenfold public benefit above that from climate actions alone.
“We look forward to seeing the details of this program and helping ensure this investment in conservation and pledge to producers is successful,” said Cooke, who formerly led conservation efforts for the Delta Council based in Stoneville, Miss.
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