USDA Pushes Regenerative Farming From Idea to Action

A new USDA advisory council and a voluntary $700M pilot move regenerative agriculture closer to real-world adoption, even as rules take shape

15 Jan 2026

The US Department of Agriculture has launched a new advisory council on regenerative agriculture and paired it with a voluntary $700mn pilot programme, signalling a shift from broad discussion towards practical policy design.

The Chief’s Regenerative Agriculture Advisory Council will advise senior USDA officials on how regenerative practices should be defined, measured and supported across federal programmes. The department says the council will not set standards or impose requirements, reflecting concerns among farmers about prescriptive regulation.

Instead, the council is intended to inform policy through consultation, drawing on experience from producers, researchers, supply chain groups and consumer representatives. USDA officials argue that regenerative agriculture varies widely by crop, region and farm size, making uniform rules difficult to apply.

The advisory work is expected to overlap with programmes run by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, which administers the department’s main conservation incentives. Early discussions are likely to focus on how regenerative practices can fit within existing schemes and how outcomes such as soil health or emissions reductions should be assessed without adding administrative burden.

Alongside the council, the USDA will run a voluntary pilot programme with funding of up to $700mn. The pilot is designed to test incentives and measurement approaches before any broader rollout, allowing the department to refine policy based on evidence rather than mandates.

For farmers and food companies, the initiative suggests that federal frameworks around regenerative agriculture are beginning to take shape. Clearer guidance could eventually reduce friction between public conservation programmes and the growing number of private sustainability commitments, though much will depend on how definitions and performance metrics develop during the pilot.

Environmental groups have welcomed the move towards experimentation but caution that flexibility should not come at the expense of environmental outcomes. They argue that advisory processes must still deliver measurable gains.

While key details remain unresolved, the USDA’s approach marks a step towards embedding regenerative agriculture within federal policy. By relying on voluntary participation and consultation, the department is testing whether the concept can be scaled through incentives rather than regulation.