The Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Program is a joint collaboration between the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, EPA, and USDA and provides financial assistance to grassroots partnerships for … Read more
The Regenerative Pilot Program, a subset of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Conservation Stewardship Program, aims to help farmers adopt regenerative agriculture practices that improve soil health, enhance water quality, and boost long-term productivity.
Eligible Uses
USDA has identified a list of practices required for participation in the Regenerative Pilot Program, primarily focused on improving soil health. One requirement that differs RPP from other USDA programs is that it requires participants to do soil health testing to measure outcomes of practices.
Eligible Recipients
Individual farms are eligible recipients.
Approx Annual Funding Amount
NRCS is investing $700 million to specifically support regenerative agriculture, including: $400 million through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and $300 million through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).
Cost Share Requirements
Cost-shared is required under this pilot program. USDA is allowing private funding to provide match to federal dollars.
Application Cycle
Farmers and ranchers interested in regenerative agriculture are encouraged to apply through their local NRCS Service Center by their state’s ranking dates for consideration in FY2026 funding. Applications for both EQIP and CSP can now be submitted under the new single regenerative application process.
Contact
Email regenerative@usda.gov for more information.
Other Info
- Participants must conduct a whole-farm assessment and perform soil health testing in the first and last year of the contract (at a minimum) to establish a starting baseline and to record the resulting changes.
- The contract length will be a minimum of 5 years.