USDA launches new Regenerative Pilot Program

On Dec. 10, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the launch of a new $700 million Regenerative Pilot Program aimed at strengthening America’s food and fiber supply by helping producers adopt practices to improve soil health, enhance water quality and boost long-term production. 

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins unveiled the initiative alongside U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 

“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. In order 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,” Rollins says in the corresponding press release. 

“Today’s announcement encourages these priorities while supporting farmers who choose to transition to regenerative agriculture,” she continues. “The Regenerative Pilot Program also puts farmers first and reduces barriers to entry for conservation programs.”

Program details 

According to USDA, the Regenerative Pilot Program builds on the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Strategy released in September. It also represents a joint effort between USDA and HHS to research the connection between ag practices and public health outcomes and create concise public messaging to communicate their findings.

“We cannot truly be a wealthy nation if we are not also a healthy nation,” Oz comments. “Access to wholesome, nutritious and affordable foods is a key tenet of the MAHA agenda, which President Donald Trump has directed this administration to execute across all government agencies.”

USDA explains the program will be administered under the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and, in an effort to ensure it remains producer driven, NRCS will establish the Chief Regenerative Agriculture Advisory Council – a 15-member council made of producers, corporate supply chain representatives and consumer advocates who will meet quarterly to advise NRCS leadership on program implementation, data collection and reporting improvements.

USDA also plans to expand public-private partnerships to leverage private investments in conservation practices. By matching private funding with federal resources, USDA officials say taxpayer dollars can be stretched further, while increasing access to regenerative practices for farmers and ranchers. 

Streamlined approach 

USDA further explains the Regenerative Pilot Program will directly address longstanding concerns among U.S. producers that federal conservation programs have become too complex and administratively burdensome.

“In response to the Dust Bowl in the 1930s, Congress created NRCS to help people help the land and improve conservation of the nation’s soil and water resources,” the department states. “This action led to improved soil health and natural resources management which, in turn, has led to increased productivity. Between 1948 and 2021, total U.S. farm production increased 190 percent, while total farm inputs – such as land, labor and water – decreased two percent in the same period.”

“However, current conservation programs at USDA have become overly burdensome and farmers are bogged down with red tape whenever they try to adopt soil health and regenerative agriculture practices,” the agency continues. “Even with improved soil health since the creation of NRCS, USDA data shows farmers recently reported 25 percent of acres had water-driven erosion concerns and 16 percent had wind-driven erosion concerns.”

In an effort to combat this, the Regenerative Pilot Program will provide a streamlined, outcome-based approach allowing producers to bundle multiple regenerative ag practices into a single, whole-farm conservation plan to address every major resource concern.

In Fiscal Year 2026, USDA will dedicate $400 million through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and $300 million through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) to fund regenerative ag projects nationwide.

Eligible projects include crop rotation, cover crops, prescribed grazing, nutrient management, no-till and reduced tillage systems, irrigation water management and residue management, among others.

Participants must complete a whole-farm assessment and conduct soil health testing at the beginning and end of their contract period to test outcomes. 

Additionally, USDA says the program is open to producers of all experience levels and encourages those interested in regenerative agriculture to apply through their local NRCS Service Center. 

Applications for both EQIP and CSP can now be submitted under a single regenerative application process.

Industry reaction

Farm groups and conservation organizations largely welcomed the announcement. 

In a Dec. 11 Successful Farming article by Natalina Sents Bausch, American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall expresses cautious optimism for the program but is pleased it finally recognizes practices farmers have used for decades. 

“We value USDA’s acknowledgement farmers have long practiced regenerative agriculture on their farms – both through federal conservation programs and on their own,” he says. “Building on these efforts by leveraging existing voluntary and incentive-based programs to advance additional regenerative goals sounds like smart government to me, especially when farmers remain in the driver’s seat.”

“The public trusts farmers more than anyone – including government – to lead on regenerative agriculture, based on national polling. We don’t take this trust for granted,” he adds. “Farmers rely on healthy land to grow nutritious crops, raise healthy animals and ensure our farms thrive for future generations. So, we take seriously our responsibility to care for the land.”

Duvall continues, “We are still digging into the details of the new initiative and look forward to learning more about how it will be administered to ensure it’s effective and workable for farmers.”

In her statement, Environmental Working Group Midwest Director Anne Schechinger says the focus on whole-farm planning and practices such as cover cropping are “important steps in the right direction,” while urging USDA to ensure sufficient staffing and funding to meet anticipated demand. 

Additionally, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) praised the program’s emphasis on streamlining conservation delivery and expanding public-private partnerships.

The agency states, “NACD applauds USDA’s streamlining of conservation programs, particularly the opportunities for stronger private-public partnerships. Conservation districts across the country are already helping landowners and operators adopt regenerative systems to improve soil function, enhance productivity and support emerging market opportunities. Many districts are also advancing these efforts through Advancing Markets for Producers grants, positioning producers to meet growing supply chain sustainability goals.”

Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.