The Trump administration announced on Dec. 10 a new federal effort to support regenerative agriculture, unveiling a $700 million Regenerative Pilot Program aimed at improving soil health, strengthening water quality and supporting long-term farm productivity.
Flanked by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said the program is intended to support the nation’s food and fiber supply while encouraging on-farm conservation practices.
“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,” Rollins said. “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.”
In fiscal year 2026, USDA will dedicate $400 million through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and $300 million through the Conservation Stewardship Program to support the program’s first year.
The pilot targets both beginning and experienced producers, expanding access while encouraging flexibility across diverse operations. According to USDA, the goal is to boost yields, improve long-term soil resilience and strengthen the nation’s food and fiber supply without adding unnecessary administrative hurdles.
The announcement said that while conservation programs have expanded since the creation of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), many producers “are bogged down with red tape whenever they try to adopt soil health and regenerative practices.”
The Regenerative Pilot Program is designed to address those concerns by delivering a streamlined conservation model. Producers will be able to plan and implement whole-farm regenerative systems through a single application, bundling multiple practices under one conservation framework.
NRCS will also establish a Chief’s Regenerative Agriculture Advisory Council. The council will meet quarterly to review implementation, advise on data and reporting improvements and help guide future conservation delivery.
The initiative builds on the Make Our Children Healthy Again strategy released earlier this fall. As part of the effort, HHS will invest in research examining links between regenerative agriculture and public health, while also developing public messaging to explain how agricultural practices, food systems and human health are connected.
Reactions
American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Zippy Duvall welcomed USDA’s announcement, saying the agency rightly recognizes that farmers have long practiced regenerative agriculture through both federal conservation programs and their own on-farm initiatives.
“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,” Duvall said.
“Farmers rely on healthy land to grow nutritious crops and raise healthy animals,” he continued, adding that AFBF is reviewing the program’s details to ensure it is workable and effective for producers.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller voiced support for the pilot program, calling it “common-sense, farmer-first leadership.” Miller emphasized that the program puts conservation decisions back in producers’ hands, strengthens soil and water management and reduces bureaucracy. Miller added that expanding regenerative agriculture will help small-scale operations grow organic foods and supply nutritious products for schools and communities nationwide.
“This unified, trustworthy approach reflects our shared mission of helping people help the land,” Miller said. “I am proud to support it wholeheartedly on behalf of Texas agriculture.”
Sarah Starman, senior food and agriculture campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said USDA’s new Regenerative Agriculture Initiative is “a step in the right direction,” but warned its success depends on restoring conservation staffing.
Starman said regenerative systems require whole-farm, science-based planning, and the USDA lacks enough specialists to support producers. She also argued that phasing out synthetic pesticides and fertilizers must be central to the program, saying current incentives fall short. Starman added that the initiative should include measurable reductions in agrochemical use and stronger conservation compliance requirements for all major farm subsidies to ensure public dollars support soil health, water quality and human health.
Farm Action President and co-founder Angela Huffman welcomed the administration’s announcement, calling it a benefit for both farmers and public health. She said regenerative systems can rebuild profitability by reducing reliance on costly inputs controlled by large corporations.
“Done right, this investment will help farmers lower their input costs and move toward more resilient farming systems,” Huffman said.
Huffman cautioned that USDA must ensure NRCS has adequate staffing so funds reach producers broadly, not primarily large operations, and avoid consolidation seen in past programs.
“We cannot allow a repeat of the Climate-Smart Commodities program, where projects involving multinational corporations like JBS and Tyson Foods received the lion’s share of program dollars, fueling further consolidation,” Huffman said. — Charles Wallace, WLJ contributing editor
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