The U.S. Department of Agriculture is pushing farmers to prioritize soil health and more nutritious food. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz announced a $700 million Regenerative Pilot Program on Wednesday to support farmers adopting regenerative practices that improve soil health, protect water quality, and increase long-term productivity.
The initiative was framed as part of the broader Make America Healthy Again agenda.
“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. Today’s announcement encourages these priorities while supporting farmers who choose to transition to regenerative agriculture. The Regenerative Pilot Program also puts Farmers First and reduces barriers to entry for conservation programs,” said Rollins. “This is another initiative driven by President Trump’s mission to Make America Healthy Again. Alongside Secretary Kennedy, we have made great strides to ensure the safe, nutritious, and affordable food our great farmers produce make it to dinner tables across this great country.”
There is no specific definition of what “regenerative” means, and some groups have documented more than 200 different descriptions. Generally speaking, the term refers to practices that can improve long-term soil health, like cover cropping and no-till management.
Why soil health, why now?
The program is portrayed as a federal effort to combat soil degradation. U.S. Department of Agriculture data show ongoing erosion concerns with farmers recently reported water-driven erosion on 25 percent of acres and wind-driven erosion on 16 percent. At the same time, producers often say existing conservation programs are too bureaucratic and time-consuming, especially when they try to adopt regenerative or soil-health-focused practices.
During Wednesday’s announcement, Kennedy linked soil health directly to human health. “In September, under President Trump’s leadership, we released the MAHA Strategy Report, which includes a full section on soil health and land stewardship,” he said. “Today’s regenerative farming announcement directly advances that deliverable. If we intend to Make America Healthy Again, we must begin by restoring the health of our soil.”
Oz connected those themes to the broader economic and health picture.
“We cannot truly be a wealthy nation if we are not also a healthy nation. Access to wholesome, nutritious, and affordable foods is a key tenet of the Make America Healthy Again agenda, which President Trump has directed this administration to execute across all government agencies,” he said. “I commend Secretary Rollins and Secretary Kennedy for today’s efforts to strengthen our nation’s food supply.”
Administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Regenerative Pilot Program is designed to streamline paperwork by letting producers use a single application for multiple regenerative practices. It emphasizes whole-farm planning that looks at soil, water, and overall landscape health together, reduces barriers for new and beginning farmers as well as established operations, and supports both entry-level and advanced regenerative producers.
For FY2026, USDA plans to dedicate $400 million through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and $300 million through the Conservation Stewardship Program. Farmers and ranchers will be able to bundle several practices — such as cover crops, reduced tillage, and improved grazing management — into one unified application instead of navigating multiple separate forms and programs.
To keep the program grounded in real-world producer needs, NRCS is creating a Chief’s Regenerative Agriculture Advisory Council. This council will meet quarterly with rotating participants, advise the NRCS Chief on implementation, help strengthen data collection and reporting, and guide how future USDA conservation programs are delivered so the program remains practical, flexible, and responsive to producer feedback.
The pilot also aims to harness growing private-sector interest in conservation. It opens the door for public-private partnerships that allow the USDA to match private funding for regenerative practices, stretch taxpayer dollars further, and expand technical and financial support for producers.
