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Highlights
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Dec. 10, 2025, announced a slate of federal actions and $700 million in funding to support farmers and ranchers who deploy regenerative agriculture practices.
- Regenerative agriculture – while undefined by federal statute or regulation – is generally understood to be an outcome-focused approach to farming that promotes sustainability with interest in soil health, biodiversity, water quality and soil carbon storage, among other outcomes.
- Funding will be distributed through existing Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs, including $400 million through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and $300 million through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Dec. 10, 2025, announced a slate of federal actions and $700 million in funding to support farmers and ranchers who deploy regenerative agriculture practices. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was joined by U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz in announcing the initiative. Both Secretary Kennedy and Administrator Oz have been proponents of the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) movement and have expressed interest in possible linkages between regenerative agriculture practices and public health.
Regenerative agriculture – while undefined by federal statute or regulation – is generally understood to be an outcome-focused approach to farming that promotes sustainability with interest in soil health, biodiversity, water quality and soil carbon storage, among other outcomes.
USDA Regenerative Pilot Program
At the center of the announcement is a $700 million Regenerative Pilot Program to support farmers' adoption of regenerative agriculture practices. The initiative will be administered through existing Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) programs, providing in the first year $400 million in funding through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and $300 million through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). Both programs support working farmland and ranchland. EQIP is a shorter-term, more narrowly focused program that provides funding for a specific conservation practice upon completion, and CSP provides five-year contracts with annual payments to support ongoing improvements with additional payments once an enhancement is complete.
Alongside this signature initiative, USDA invited companies interested in public-private partnerships with NRCS to support conservation practices to improve natural resources management. It also announced establishment of the NRCS Chief's Regenerative Agriculture Advisory Council, which will meet quarterly with rotating participants, to advise the NRCS Chief on implementation of the program and shape future USDA conservation programming. The USDA's announcement cited support from HHS toward researching the connection between regenerative agriculture and public health, as well as developing public health messaging that explains this connection.
Per the USDA, the funding is intended to support practices that improve soil health, enhance water quality and boost long-term productivity while strengthening American food and fiber supply. The program will support whole-farm planning and allow bundling of multiple regenerative practices into one application and will support both beginning and advanced producers.
Eligible applicants may apply for awards through local NRCS Service Centers. Public-private partnerships within NRCS conservation programs will provide matching cost-shares with private funding from USDA. Interested parties are encouraged to reach out to NRCS via email. Fewer than 50 percent of applicants under EQIP and CSP are typically successful; Holland & Knight can assist with preparation of competitive applications.
Rising Federal Attention to Regenerative Agriculture
The announcement arrives amid measured interest in regenerative agriculture. Congressionally, with eyes toward the next Farm Bill, legislation has been introduced by Republicans and Democrats alike that supports recognition and funding of regenerative agriculture practices. The Republican-led Producing Responsible Energy and Conservation Incentives and Solutions for the Environment (PRECISE) Act (S.1616) would incorporate support for precision agriculture through USDA programs such as EQIP and CSP, and the legislation was included in the U.S. House of Representatives' draft Farm Bill. Republicans in the House Committee on Agriculture have also introduced other legislation that has not been included, such as the CROP for Farming Act (H.R.4296), which would add considerations regarding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon storage into conservation incentive contracts. Democrat-led H.R.5703 and S.1385 direct consideration of the relationship between organic and regenerative agriculture. Previously, Democratic bills in the 118th Congress sought to codify certain activities as regenerative agricultural practices, including Earth Act to Stop Climate Pollution by 2030 (H.R.598) and National Food as Medicine Program Act of 2024 (H.R.9631) which included a definition of regeneratively produced agricultural products and a definition of regeneratively organically produced agricultural products based on USDA-certified organic production methods.
In April 2025, the Trump Administration canceled a USDA initiative launched during the Biden Administration focused on leveraging the GHG emissions benefits of certain agricultural practices that overlap with regenerative agriculture. The Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program was scheduled to invest $3.1 billion in 141 projects over five years before awards were formally canceled in the spring at the start of President Donald Trump's second term.
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