NEWS RELEASE: Invest in Our Land Statement on USDA Expansion of the Regenerative Pilot Program
WASHINGTON, D.C., Tuesday, September 29, 2026 – Today, Invest in Our Land issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s announcement increasing financial assistance for the Regenerative Pilot Program from $700 million to $1 billion for Fiscal Year 2027. The funding will be allocated through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).
“We applaud Secretary Rollins and USDA for this investment in America’s farmers,” said Rebecca Bartels, Executive Director of Invest in Our Land. “Conservation practices like these help farmers build healthier soil, lower their input costs, and protect their yields through drought and flood. When USDA says farmers ‘have spoken,’ it is recognizing what we hear every day: producers want these tools.
“That message deserves an answer from Congress, too. This pilot runs through EQIP and CSP, the same programs that already turn away most farmers who apply. Yet the Senate Farm Bill would still cut EQIP by nearly $2 billion below the levels Congress set just last year, potentially leaving more than 56,500 valid farmer applications unfunded. USDA is building on EQIP at the same moment the Farm Bill would shrink it. When demand is this strong, the answer is to protect EQIP, not cut it.
“But funding alone doesn’t get conservation on the ground. People do. The NRCS staff who work alongside farmers are not a nice-to-have; they are the expert advisors who help producers plan, apply, and put these practices to work. NRCS has lost 23 percent of its workforce, and farmers across the country are telling us their local offices are understaffed and overburdened. To make sure this billion dollars reaches the farmers who need it, USDA and Congress must protect EQIP, rebuild NRCS staff capacity, and fully fund Conservation Technical Assistance.”
About Invest in Our Land
Invest in Our Land is a nonpartisan organization committed to amplifying the voices of American farmers and ranchers and ensuring they have the tools and support they need to implement conservation practices that strengthen their operations, safeguard our natural resources, and secure the future of U.S. agriculture. Learn more at investinourland.org.
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