Farm Bureau Welcomes USDA Approach to Regenerative Agriculture

American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall today commented on the announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) about a new Regenerative Agriculture Initiative that leverages existing programs, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), to advance regenerative practices.

“We value USDA’s acknowledgement that farmers have long practiced regenerative agriculture on their farms, both through federal conservation programs and on their own. Building on these efforts by leveraging existing voluntary and incentive-based programs to advance additional regenerative goals sounds like smart government to me, especially when farmers remain in the driver’s seat.

“The public trusts farmers more than anyone -- including government -- to lead on regenerative agriculture, based on national polling. We don’t take that trust for granted. Farmers rely on healthy land to grow nutritious crops, raise healthy animals, and ensure our farms thrive for future generations. So, we take seriously our responsibility to care for the land.

“We are still digging into the details of the new initiative and look forward to learning more about how it will be administered to ensure it’s effective and workable for farmers.”