Assistance available for regenerative practices
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BISMARCK - The U.S. Department of Agriculture in North Dakota has announced additional eligible practices for farmers participating in the Regenerative Pilot Program in fiscal year 2027, providing local agricultural producers with more opportunities to adopt conservation systems that improve soil health, water quality and long-term farm resilience. Producers can now apply for assistance with regenerative practices.
USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is improving the program by using NRCS's locally led conservation model to allow State Technical Advisory Committees to recommend additional conservation practices that reflect local resource concerns, production systems and producer needs.
In North Dakota, the following practices have been added to complement the program's core practices available nationwide: windbreak/shelterbelt establishment and renovation; field border; riparian herbaceous cover; filter strip, grade stabilization structure, grassed waterway; salinity and sodic soil management, tree/shrub establishment; wildlife habitat management and annual forages for grazing systems.
"Producers told us they needed more flexibility to make whole-farm regenerative management work here in North Dakota, and we listened," said Dan Hovland, NRCS state conservationist in North Dakota. "By adding state recommended practices to the Regenerative Pilot Program, we're ensuring that conservation tools match the realities of our soils, climate and production systems."
In fiscal year 2027, USDA increased financial assistance for the Regenerative Pilot Program from $700 million to $1 billion and will continue to focus on whole-farm planning to maximize the ecological potential of working lands, through restoring and enhancing soil health and water management, under a single conservation framework. USDA is dedicating $650 million through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and $350 million through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) to fund this second year of regenerative agriculture projects.
"The Regenerative Pilot Program delivers a streamlined, outcome-based conservation model, empowering producers to plan and implement whole-farm regenerative practices through a single application," said Jarvis Keney, NRCS assistant state conservationist for Programs in North Dakota.
Producers can bundle multiple regenerative practices into one application, streamlining the process and increasing flexibility for operations. The program is designed for both beginning and advanced producers, ensuring availability for all farmers.
For fiscal year 2027, the program maintains whole-farm planning while reducing the barrier to entry by lowering the requirement of addressing the state's identified critical soil and water resource concern from 100% of the applicant's land to 75% for the Conservation Stewardship Program. This improves flexibility without sacrificing outcomes. The program also provides multiple monitoring and evaluation options tailored to cropland, grazing lands and forestry operations.
Farmers and ranchers interested in regenerative agriculture are encouraged to apply through their local NRCS Service Center. Producers can sign up anytime throughout the year, but state producers interested in funding during the current fiscal year should apply by Nov. 13.