USDA will boost funding for its regenerative agriculture pilot program from $700 million to $1 billion in fiscal 2027, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Sept. 29, responding to producer demand that generated roughly 15,000 applications in the current cycle.

Rollins made the announcement at the second annual Make America Healthy Again Summit in Washington, D.C., where she appeared alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for a panel on reshaping the nation's food and agricultural system.

"The American farmers have spoken and we at USDA are responding!" Rollins said, adding that the department is expanding the program so more producers can adopt regenerative practices.

How will the $1 billion be split?

USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service obligated more than $851 million through over 5,100 contracts under the pilot in fiscal 2026, the department reported. Demand clearly outran supply: 15,000 applications against a program funded at $700 million.

The fiscal 2027 allocation breaks down as follows:

• $650 million through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program
• $350 million through the Conservation Stewardship Program
• Producers can bundle multiple regenerative practices into a single application under a whole-farm planning approach

USDA is also lowering the resource concern threshold for CSP from 100% to 75%, a change the department says will reduce barriers to participation while maintaining conservation goals.

State Technical Advisory Committees will gain authority to add conservation practices tailored to local resource concerns, production systems and producer needs. The fiscal 2027 program adds dedicated funding set-asides, expanded technical support and improved tracking and monitoring.

What did the panel say about farm profitability?

Farm profitability remains a structural problem, Rollins told the summit, citing the loss of about 660,000 farms and ranches over the past decade. Farmers, on average, make money only about two years out of every 10, she said.

David Friedberg, CEO of Ohalo and a member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, pointed to breeding techniques, precision weed control, soil mapping and biological products as levers for both agronomy and margins. Technologies that cut water, fungicide, herbicide and fertilizer use while lifting productivity could improve farm economics, he said, arguing that continued investment in agricultural technology would let farmers produce more food with fewer resources.

What is changing on the nutrition side?

Rollins framed federal food and nutrition changes as part of the administration's broader MAHA agenda. She highlighted state efforts to restrict purchase of certain foods with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. According to USDA, 23 states have approved SNAP waivers, while five have been struck down by a federal judge.

SNAP retailer stocking requirements have also changed: retailers must now offer 28 "healthy" options compared with 11 under the previous rule. Rollins noted the program serves about 38 million Americans.

USDA also recently launched its Harvest to Hallways initiative, designed to encourage schools to buy more locally grown food. Rollins described school meals as a channel to increase demand for food produced by smaller and independent farmers — a demand-side complement to the conservation dollars flowing through EQIP and CSP.

With applications running at roughly triple the number of contracts NRCS could fund in fiscal 2026, the fiscal 2027 expansion signals USDA's intent to keep scaling the pilot as demand for regenerative practice incentives continues to outpace available funding.