Reposted from: https://www.bloomberg.com/trump-sets-700-million-to-improve-soil-water-on-farms
The Trump administration is launching a $700 million pilot program to help farmers more easily adopt “regenerative” practices that improve the health of soil and water.
The program — part of President Donald Trump’s Make America Healthy Again push — aims to cut red tape for growers seeking to change their operations in ways that limit losses from wind or runoff, according to a joint release from US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Mehmet Oz, the administration’s chief of Medicare and Medicaid.
“In order to continue to be the most productive and efficient growers in the world, we must protect our topsoil from unnecessary erosion and improve soil health and land stewardship,” Rollins said in the release. “Today’s announcement encourages priorities while supporting farmers who choose to transition to regenerative agriculture.”
The release didn’t specify how much farmers may receive for adopting regenerative practices. Regenerative agriculture can include reducing or eliminating the plowing of fields or planting so-called “cover crops” to limit wind erosion between harvests.
The move comes after the Trump administration earlier this year canceled $3 billion in funding under former President Joe Biden’s so-called Climate-Smart Commodities program, citing high administrative fees that limited payouts to farmers.
Farm Action, a nonpartisan group advocating for fair and sustainable food systems, said it welcomed the program. The group is against large multinational companies from receiving benefits at the expense of smaller farms.
“Regenerative agriculture is not only better for the land and public health, but it also creates a path to rebuilding farmer profitability and reducing dependency on costly chemicals and other inputs controlled by a few giant companies,” said Angela Huffman, Farm Action’s president.
Stephanie Feldstein, population and sustainability director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said more details are needed.
“Farmers trying to do the right thing for our environment need all the support they can get, but without clear standards this ill-defined pilot program isn’t enough,” she said in a statement.
