The USDA is launching a $700 million Regenerative Pilot Program to support sustainable farming practices — mere days after the Trump administration revealed a $12 billion bailout package for growers impacted by market volatility.
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will administer the programme, providing support to farmers who adopt practices that improve soil health, productivity, and water quality, the agency shared in a press release. The programme was revealed during the release of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) report in September, as AgTechNavigator previously reported.
The USDA is “cutting administrative burdens for producers” by allowing growers to submit a single application for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), the agency said.
The EQIP will fund $400 million of the total funds in 2026, with CSP financing the remaining $300 million, the agency shared.
“We will deliver this support through existing programmes our farmers already know and already trust. 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 most efficient growers in the world, we must protect our topsoil from unnecessary erosion and boost the microbiome of the soil,” Brooke Rollins, USDA secretary, shared during a press conference.
She added, “For too long, our conservation programmes have been severely fragmented. This pilot replaces that fragmentation with one unified process that evaluates everything at one time. Whole farm planning is the centerpiece, ensuring that all resource concerns, such as soil, water, and natural vitality, are addressed together — not one piece at a time. Producers will benefit from a single application, reducing red tape and making conservation easier to access and our programmes more impactful.”
The NRCS will establish the Chief’s Regenerative Agriculture Advisory Council, where rotating stakeholders will meet quarterly to review the programme’s implementation, the agency said.
Additionally, the USDA will explore private-public partnerships to boost regenerative agriculture and encourages interested parties to contact the agency.
Creating an ‘off-ramp’ to synthetic fertilisers
Current U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.), spearheaded the MAHA movement as part of his 2024 presidential campaign, where he advocated a broad set of agriculture, environmental, health, and food policies with a focus on reducing chronic diseases. These policies include replacing synthetic fertilisers with regenerative farming practices.
A former environmental lawyer, RFK Jr., has faced criticism for his lack of scientific credentials and his views on vaccines, including that vaccines cause autism.
The Regenerative Pilot Program will provide farmers with an “off-ramp, where they can transition to a model that emphasizes soil health,” RFK Jr. said in a press conference.
In the MAHA report, government agencies did not find a link between proper use of several popular herbicides and health impacts, as AgTechNavigator reported. However, the government expects to make updated health recommendations on many of these products next year.
Additionally, as part of the Regenerative Pilot Program, HHS will conduct research into the correlation between public health and regenerative agriculture and will develop public health messaging around the connection, the agency explained.
Trade groups commend regen ag programme
Agriculture and environmental trade groups, including the American Farm Bureau, welcomed the new government programme, commending the work farmers already have done to promote sustainability.
“We value USDA’s acknowledgement that farmers have long practiced regenerative agriculture on their farms, both through federal conservation programs and on their own. 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,” Zippy Duvall, American Farm Bureau president, shared in a statement.
Similarly, nonpartisan and farmer-led watchdog group Farm Action welcomed the news and stressed that the “USDA must make sure the Natural Resources Conservation Service—after significant funding cuts—has enough staff to get these dollars out quickly and fairly,” Angela Huffman, Farm Action’s president and co-founder, shared in a statement.
“Regenerative agriculture is not only better for the land and public health, but it also creates a path to rebuilding farmer profitability and reducing dependency on costly chemicals and other inputs controlled by a few giant companies,” Huffman elaborated.
She added, “Done right, this investment will help farmers lower their input costs, break free from the export-driven commodity overproduction treadmill, and move toward healthier, more resilient, and more profitable farming systems. This initiative reflects the priorities Farm Action has long championed and repeatedly urged the government to adopt.”
Non-profit advocacy group the Environmental Working Group (EWG) discussed the importance of regenerative practices and also added to the calls to restore funding to parts of the USDA in its prepared remarks.
EWG’s statement on the regen ag programme comes days after the organization was critical on the administration for its farmer bailout package.
“Prioritizing regenerative agriculture practices like cover crops and encouraging farmers to develop whole farm plans ... are important steps in the right direction to improving farm resilience,” said Anne Schechinger, EWG’s Midwest director.
She added, “We hope the administration will provide more funding to meet the growing backlog of farmer demand for the most effective conservation practices. The administration should also restore funding for the USDA experts needed to help farmers develop whole farm and regenerative agriculture conservation plans and enroll in this new initiative.”