Conservation Investments Give Farmers the Tools to Safeguard Water
Across the country, farmers and ranchers are making measurable improvements to water quality, soil health and nutrient stewardship, and many of them are doing it with support from USDA programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). These programs help cover the cost of practices that protect natural resources while maintaining productive land.
These efforts are about aligning local goals with available tools and resources and giving producers the flexibility to implement effective strategies that work best for their operations. As nutrient runoff and water quality remain important priorities across agriculture, voluntary conservation efforts are demonstrating their value in delivering tangible results.
Key programs that support conservation practices
USDA conservation programs are helping farmers implement water-smart practices and improve soil health — without costly, burdensome legislative mandates. Each one is designed to meet producers where they are and scale what works.
EQIP offers financial and technical assistance to implement conservation practices, including cover crops, nutrient management, irrigation efficiency and manure storage systems. In fiscal year 2024, EQIP obligated more than $1.6 billion to conservation programs.¹ These funds were used to implement proven practices that improve soil health, reduce erosion and keep nutrients where they belong — on the land and in the crops.
CSP supports producers who are already conservation-minded and want to build on what’s working. The program uses five-year contracts with performance-based payments to enhance existing practices and pilot new ones. In 2023, CSP supported over 11,000 contracts spanning more than 14.7 million acres.² In fiscal year 2024, Iowa alone obligated $29.2 million in CSP funding covering more than 204,000 acres through both new and renewed contracts.³
RCPP brings together states, non-profits, private companies and local partners to address shared conservation goals. These often focus on specific watersheds or regional concerns, such as nutrient loss in the Mississippi River Basin. In 2023, USDA committed more than $1 billion to RCPP projects, with nearly half of those funds addressing water quality challenges through locally led, collaborative efforts.⁴
Reducing risk for on-farm practice changes
Conservation often comes with upfront costs, whether that’s purchasing new equipment, installing vegetative buffers or transitioning to no-till systems. Programs like EQIP and CSP reduce the financial risk of trying something new. They also connect producers with trusted advisers who can help tailor practices to specific field conditions, cropping systems and business goals.
These programs are not one-size-fits-all. Each plan is tailored to a producer’s land and conservation goals. That flexibility makes it easier for farmers to adopt practices that work with their existing management strategies.
The result is cleaner water, stronger soil and more resilient operations.
Demonstrating measurable impact through data
Voluntary conservation isn’t just a lofty goal. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2023 Hypoxia Task Force Report to Congress, nutrient management and conservation practices in the Mississippi River Basin have already contributed to a 20% reduction in total nitrogen loads delivered to the Gulf, though phosphorus reductions remain a pressing challenge.5 These results demonstrate the significant environmental benefits that can be achieved through the widespread adoption of conservation practices, supported by USDA programs.
These gains are especially important in the fight against hypoxia in the Gulf, where nutrient runoff plays a significant role. Voluntary actions are helping reduce that impact without adding red tape for producers or costs for consumers.
Scaling conservation through new investments
The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act is helping scale what works by adding new funding to EQIP, CSP and RCPP. These investments prioritize climate-smart practices such as nutrient management, reduced tillage, buffer zones and more. Importantly, the funding builds on existing trust and participation in these programs, enabling producers to scale up their conservation efforts without starting from scratch.
Through smart investments, voluntary conservation is being elevated from the individual field level to regional collaborations that improve downstream water quality.
Conservation is a partnership
Farmers and ranchers have always cared for the land — but they don’t have to shoulder the cost of conservation alone. With the proper support, voluntary efforts are proving to be the most effective tools available for improving water quality and protecting working lands.
Brought to you by America’s soybean farmers.
1. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. (2024, June). Farm Bill 2024 Side-by-Side: Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). https://www.eesi.org/files/Side-by-Side-Farm-Bill-2024-Environmental-Quality-Incentives-Program-EQIP.pdf
2. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General. (2023, November). Conservation Stewardship Program: Oversight and Performance Audit (Report No. 10801-0002-23). https://usdaoig.oversight.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2023-12/10801-0002-23Final-Report.pdf
3. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. (2024, December 9). NRCS Tops $100 Million in Conservation Funding to Iowa Farmers. https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/state-offices/iowa/news/nrcs-tops-100-million-in-conservation-funding
4. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. (2024). Regional Conservation Partnership Program. https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-initiatives/regional-conservation-partnership-program
5. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2023, November). Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force 2023 Report to Congress (EPA 10305). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-11/10305_2023-htf-report-to-congress_508.pdf